NINE x FIRE captures the ethereal and elusive power of fire—light and heat produced as the source is consumed and transformed, symbolizing metamorphosis across cultures worldwide. Drawing on ancient Iranian fire symbolism, the photographs channel an instinctual engagement with the flames, moving into the unconscious to produce outcomes that—like fire itself—are fundamentally different from their source.

After nine years of experimentation and planning, a condemned building—once a gang headquarters in one of California’s most neglected and violent neighborhoods, where police, fire, and other authorities would not intervene—was purchased. The 81 photographs of NINE x FIRE were selected from 9,000 images captured over 27 sessions in 2016, during an 81-day period, while living in the building while it was being demolished and subsequently reconstructed, which took an additional nine months. Apart from a single camera and lens, all materials and equipment used in the photography were sourced entirely from the building itself or introduced specifically for reconstruction. There was no artificial lighting, little to no staging, and the final photographs remain, uncropped, with minimal editing—limited to dust and noise reduction and lens and color correction.

Only near the completion of the photography sessions did the constant recurrence of the number 9 become apparent—a pattern I may have enacted subconsciously. The symbolism of reaching the end of a cycle and transformation through fire resonated deeply, and without prior knowledge or interest in numerology, I embraced it, allowing it to shape the structure and completion of the project, including its release date, nine years later. By coincidence, before the publication, an accidental fire destroyed the building, which was demolished and sold for redevelopment. And so the next cycle begins.

Keeping the fire alive is a sacred task. NINE x FIRE is my attempt.

SHAHABODINN
09/27/2025