Fogo Frio is an exhibition game about PREVENTION. Designed to be interactive, transportable and displayed in various locations, this exhibition aims to demonstrate that burning vegetation during the winter can be beneficial in reducing the intensity of fires and protecting our forests and homes from fires in the summer. Burning, slash-and-burn, and pasture renovation are traditional and sustainable practices well-known to farmers. They can be environmentally friendly but involve considerable risks if carried out incorrectly. Traditional practices are combined with science and professionals specialising in forestry and fire, creating the practice of controlled burning. 

In Portugal, fires are recurrent, as is natural in the Mediterranean, with rainy winters and dry summers. However, arid years, with heat waves and much wind, can lead to catastrophic events. Therefore, prevention becomes essential. 

In Fogo Frio, with the support of the most up-to-date science in the field, the aim is to share and explore the behaviour of fire, the influence of vegetation and the weather, and what the safety rules are so that the practice can be carried out as safely as possible, in the context of climate change.

Fogo Frio It also looks at the various traditional uses of fire, such as burning the remains of vegetation, burning by farmers and shepherds, and the professional technique of prescribed burning. Any of these uses of fire can be very effective, but risks are involved if they are not carried out correctly. Planning, looking at the weather, understanding fire behaviour, and applying safety rules are some activities that will be explored during this visit. We challenge visitors to plan a better-protected landscape from rural fires and learn about the causes of fire in the various districts.

Mapa das Ideias worked in partnership with the Centre for Applied Ecology's Prof. Baeta Neves’ of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia and FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia’ of the University of Lisbon as an External Consultant in the creation of content, design and production of the exhibition. Fogo Frio, a project delivered in October 2022 and still touring mainland Portugal.