Conservation of Fire III - Transportation

Today marked the final step of the Conservation of Fire workshop: conserving the coal and transporting fire from one place to another. We gathered in my backyard, made a fire in my bbq and then "stole" a coal to put into our mud pots. From there the trick was to see how to keep it alive inside the pot, burning slowly and smoking gently, feeding this "seed fire" occasionally.

The other trick was to see how to carry the pot, which eventually gets quite hot. I made a carrier with my neighbour's vines that hang over our fence; others fashioned different ways.

Once we had our fires going more or less, we started off on our walk to Dufferin Grove Park (about 20 mins away). Two of the five fires went out along the way, and then a third died in more spectacular fashion...

At the Park we were able to start up another fire using one of the remaining "seeds", and there we stayed for a few hours, happily enjoying the Park and the fire and yes, some marshmallows, a la ancient Egyptians.

Fire Transportation video

"…The centuries passed, and when human beings learned to produce fire, history accelerated. A little time passes and they went to bother other planets. Having produced fire, we can expect them on Mars, the moons of Jupiter, in distant places. It’s a matter of time."

- Silo, The Talk of 'The Stone'