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Fykse, Hardanger, Norway | November 2007

Twelve small scale Bonfires based on celebrated traditions throughout the world were lit one after the other. Each bonfire was accompanied by a text explaining its origin, location and historical significance.

Extract from a text read to the audience by Will Foster and Tormod Carlson during the lighting of each Bonfire:

'This is not a history of ‘Fire’ but a history of ‘Bonfires,’ this is not ‘The’ history of Bonfires But ‘A’ History of Bonfires.Fires of Calibration Fires of Spirituality Fires of Conflict Fires of Remembrance Fires of Tradition Fires of Amusement Fires of Community.

Name: Aggie Bonfire
Where: Texas USA
When: Thanksgiving
Design: made from large wooden Logs resembling a wedding cake

The Aggie bonfire was a long-standing tradition held at Texas A&M University during rival college football games with the University of Texas at Austin. For ninety years, Texas A&M students built and burned a bonfire on campus each fall. Known to the Aggie community as "Bonfire," the annual fall event symbolized Aggie students' "burning desire to beat the hell outta T.U." (a derogatory nickname for the University of Texas.) Over the years the bonfire grew to an immense size, setting a world record in 1969. At 2:42 AM on 18 November 1999, the 40 feet (10 m) high stack, consisting of about 5000 logs, collapsed during construction. 12 students were killed and 27 were injured. Since the accident, a student-sponsored group annually constructs a smaller off-campus bonfire called the "Student Bonfire" in the spirit of its predecessor.'

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