Going with the flow to make art from molten lava

Having his shoes catch fire is just one of the occupational hazards West Cork-based artist Danny Osborne faces when working on the side of live volcanoes, writes Ellie O’Byrne

THE Greek God Hephaestus was said to inhabit Mount Etna. With his servants, the Cyclopes, the ancient god of blacksmiths, sculptors and metallurgy toiled in his forge, harnessing the hellish conditions near the volcano’s core to make armour for the gods.

Danny Osborne would probably object to being called a modern-day Hephaestus, but watching footage of the sculptor at work casting artworks in actively erupting volcanoes certainly brings the comparison to mind.