Lava

Danny Osborne’s engagement with volcanoes developed out of an extended period painting volcanic landscapes in the Andes of northern Chile over 30 years ago, where he first encountered active volcanic environments and began working directly in proximity to eruptive terrain. This experience initiated a long-term interest in lava as a primary material of geological formation.

From the early 2010s, he developed and refined a method of casting sculpture directly from active lava flows at erupting volcanoes, including sites in Guatemala and Hawaii. Working with heat-resistant moulds mounted on long poles, he introduced forms into flowing lava to create solidified volcanic casts once the material cooled.

Osborne has described lava as a primordial substance, relating its geological origin to the formation of the Earth and its subsequent transformation into the materials that constitute the natural world. This conceptual framework underpins his approach to working directly with volcanic material as both process and subject.

The work is defined by direct field engagement in extreme environments, requiring short working windows within unstable and high-temperature conditions at active volcanic sites.

Read more about the casting process here