Since Slovenia became independent country, four industrial mills have gone up in flames: in Ajdovščina in June 1997, in Celje in October 2014, in Kranj in September 2022, and in Beltinci in November 2025.

Fires in old buildings are not uncommon. However, the recurring pattern of burned-down structures with the same function is still surprising. My reflection on repetition led to the initial work of the project — a video of a burning wooden structure depicting a mill wheel. Through a visually refined reinterpretation of these dramatic events, the pattern is elevated to the level of a symbol.

The project continues to develop through visits to the sites of the fires and through research into both the buildings’ histories and current events related to mills. On this basis, conceptual works have emerged that reflect the specific characteristics of each case.

The Kranj mill, as the first electrified building in the city, was something of a harbinger of the future. This fact served as the starting point for an interactive sculpture, created from charred wood and a window grille salvaged from the fire site. The sculpture, which depicts a burned mill wheel, is activated by a coin that sets the wheel in motion and briefly lights an electric bulb. The installation thus reflects both the past and the mill’s present story, as repeated changes in ownership have made it an object of economic speculation. The artwork also maintains a capitalist framework, symbolically accumulating capital with each activation. For the purposes of the installation, custom coins were created, each bearing the symbol of the burning mill.

The Celje mill was one of the few examples of brick industrial heritage in the country. After the fire, the building was quickly demolished, leaving not a single brick from the once imposing structure. During a visit to the degraded site, I noticed fragments of brick on the ground that excavation machinery had been unable to remove. I collected these remnants, ground them down, and used the recycled material toproduce new bricks. One of these bricks was embedded at the exact spot where the mill once stood.

The Ajdovščina mill is the oldest fire site in the series. For more than two decades, plans existed to transform the burned structure into a new municipal cultural center. In 2023, however, the building was sold to investors under the pretense that it would be renovated into a four-star hotel by early 2026. As it became clear that the proposed deadline might not be met, I carried out an intervention on the mill’s façade in late 2025, symbolically helping the investors fulfill their promise.

The work related to the mill in Beltinci is still in progress.