The project also brought together two MIT alumni as collaborators: Dimitrios Moutafidis (SMArchS ’25), who contributed to the visual development of the project through architectural visualizations and computer-generated imagery, and Eliot Z. Felde (SMACT ’26), who joined the project through the MISTI Lithuania program and conducted design experiments using recycled fire hoses and fire-resistant textiles. Their contributions extended the collaborative process across design, digital imaging and hands-on material research.
The sculptural forms draw inspiration from the mysterious fifteenth century Voynich Manuscript. Its enigmatic illustrations of plants, hydraulic systems, baths and unknown rituals have resisted interpretation for centuries. The artists translate this imagery into a contemporary participatory environment in which water becomes a medium of movement, energy and collective encounter.
The presence of fire remains latent throughout the work, embodied in the knowledge and technologies of the firefighters who contributed to its development. Their expertise in pressure systems, hydraulics and safety protocols grounds the poetic transformation of infrastructure in practical experience, creating a subtle dialogue between water and fire, control and spontaneity, protection and play.
