Design Map · Eindhoven
Pyr
Graduation project by Mahaut Bonnel-Emerand at Design Academy Eindhoven, 2026. Shown during Dutch Design Week in Eindhoven on Design Map, location F5.
Every year, when the weather allows it, shepherds in the Pyrenees ignite pastoral fires. They burn the surface layer of vegetation so that fresh grass can grow in the following seasons and feed their herds. Gorse and woody plants are set alight, continuing a practice used since the Neolithic. Many people in the Basque Country oppose these fires, viewing them as dangerous, anti-ecological or outdated. To better understand this controversial practice, Mahaut Bonnel-Emerand interviewed shepherds and municipal representatives, while consulting research reports by environmental organisations. 'Pyr’ is an informative installation that shares her findings through play and touch. It helps locals and hikers understand the practice and the rules that shape it. Placed at the start of popular hiking routes, its objects explain what happens in the mountains across different seasons and altitudes, and how pastoralism has shaped the mosaic of the Basque landscape.