Pyromania

Pyromania

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.53

Once an everyday risk for urbanites dwelling in wooden homes and relying on open flames for warmth, light, and sustenance, fires have become a rarity in the modern city, more often the result of social unrest than natural accident. When buildings do burn, they do so room by room, making them easier to contain — and easier to photograph — than wildfires.

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.40

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.51

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.60

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.832

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.832

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.57

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.56

Snapshots betray the widespread appeal of fire as a public spectacle. Although they behave in predictable cycles, fires appear wild, unpredictable, and awe-inspiring to the everyday viewer. Handheld cameras provide some semblance of control over a situation that the mind — and the eye — cannot fully comprehend.

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.44

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.876

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.54

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.50

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.926

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.42

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.52

Anonymous snapshot, Gift of Peter J. Cohen, 2019.45