As part of the Lluérnia Festival of Fire and Light in Catalonia, David Oliva of Spanish architectural firm SP25 Arquitecura and Anna Juncà from Atelier 4 designed a river of ‘lava’ made from over 10,000 folded pieces of paper.

Titled Origami Lava, the installation consists of an array of paper fortune tellers, a form of origami used in children’s games. Often, the various flaps of the fortune teller are labelled with numbers or colours to decide the player’s destiny. For the installation, the inner flaps have been left blank. More than 10,000 pieces are used in the lava mat, in red, yellow, and orange colours.

Origami Lava draws inspiration from the natural surroundings of Olot, where the festival takes place. The town is surrounded by dormant volcanoes. The paper origami contrasts sharply with the concept of fire.

The installation is almost 100 m2 and looks like a continuous flow of lava, thanks to the illumination behind the paper and smoke machines. It is affixed to an abandoned building, where the ‘lava’ cascades down before turning into a river and lights up the night.

Photos: SP25 Arquitectura