LAVAFORMING

Arnhildur Pálmadóttir & Arnar Skarphéðinsson

 

FILE SÃO PAULO 2026: Inter-creativity – Art and Technology – Discrete Architecture
Electronic Language International Festival

 

Lavaforming – Iceland

Lavaforming is the technique of harnessing volcanic eruptions to shape new architecture. A single effusive eruption provides enough building material for an entire city. In a matter of weeks, the foundations are laid without harmful mining or reliance on non-renewable energy. In this short-film, we travel a hundred years into the future to visit the city of Eldborg. Through the eyes of its future inhabitants, we learn how the development of this technique, alongside the collapse of the climate, ushered in an era of radical change driven by architectural innovation.

BIO

Sukanya Mukherjee is a designer and filmmaker based out of Los Angeles, CA. With a focus in speculative design, her work lives in the overlaps between film and architecture which she considers innate extensions of one another. Lavaforming is her second short-film, previously exhibited in the Icelandic Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture and is currently being shown at the Reykjavik Art Museum.

Arnar Skarphéðinsson is an architect and filmmaker based in Reykjavík, Iceland. His work focuses on architecture’s ability to visualize different futures through filmmaking techniques and video game technology. He is the co-creator of Lavaforming, which was previously exhibited in the Icelandic Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Biennale of Architecture and is currently being shown at the Reykjavik Art Museum.

Arnhildur Pálmadóttir is an architect and founder of s.ap arkitektar. She approaches projects through innovative thinking and interdisciplinary collaboration, with focus on research and circular innovation in the construction industry. Arnhildur also works on experimental projects including the Lavaforming project, Iceland’s contribution to the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. Arnhildur and s.ap architects have received numerous awards and international nominations, and their work has been featured widely in both Icelandic and international media.

 

Director: Sukanya Mukherjee, Arnar Skarphéðinsson. Writer: Andri Snær Magnason. Executive Producer: Arnhildur Pálmadóttir . Animators: Sukanya Mukherjee, Arnar Skarphéðinsson. Sound: Kjartan Thors Hagedorn-Olsen. Music: Jack Armitage. Mixing and Mastering: Josh Wilkinson. Voices: Edda Björg Eyjólfsdóttir, Úlfur Hansson, Andri Snær Magnason, Melkorka Ólafsdóttir, Helga Lára Þorsteinsdóttir. Costume Design: Björg Skarphéðinsdóttir