Fanfictie: Volcanology

The video installation is the first chapter of a trilogy of works that examines colonial scientific activity in Indonesia between the 18th and 19th centuries and its relationship to spirituality. Fanfictie: Volcanology focuses on the science of volcanology – introduced in Indonesia through the work of the Dutch geologist Franz Wilhelm Junghuhn – and on how his theories conflicted with local conceptions of volcanoes. In this work, Junghuhn appears as an undead presence, trapped inside the bowels of an active volcano. He acts as symbol of colonial science, embodying the tension between different interpretations of reality and the radical, poetic potential that can arise from encounters with alternative ways of conceiving the natural world.

Riar Rizaldi is an artist and filmmaker working across cinema and exhibition contexts. His practice explores the relationships between science, technology, labour and nature, alongside competing worldviews, genre cinema and the possibilities of theoretical fiction. Rizaldi’s work has been shown at various film festivals, museums and art spaces internationally, including Berlinale, International Film Festival Rotterdam, Venice Architecture Biennale, Taipei Biennale, the National Gallery of Indonesia and Gasworks. After Mirage: Eigenstate (2024), this is his second participation in Forum Expanded.

Director Riar Rizaldi. Screenplay Riar Rizaldi. Cinematography Adythia Utama. Editing Riar Rizaldi. Music Harsya Wahono. Sound Design Harsya Wahono. Production Design Arda Awigarda. Costumes Juraiz Taflazani. Make-Up Juraiz Taflazani. Producer B.M. Anggana. Production company New Pessimism Studio (Yogyakarta, Indonesia). With Agatha Irena, Ula Zuhra.

Films: 2019: Kasiterit. 2020: Tellurian Drama, Ghost Like Us. 2021: Becquerel. 2022: Notes from Gog Magog. 2023: Fossilis, Monisme. 2024: Mirage: Eigenstate (Forum Expanded 2025). 2025: Fanfictie: Volcanology.