THE MOLTEN GODHEAD PROJECT
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Human habitation of planet earth has always been a tentative and risky affair. Through eons of time the
dynamic earth has constantly rearranged its elements with awesome power and force. In recent history (1960’s),
science has ascertained that the continents are enormous plates of solidified rock, floating and colliding
on a sea of hot, slowly swirling mantle beneath. This dynamism is the direct cause of earthquake and volcanic
phenomena, creating an unpredictable and life threatening environment. At times, the earth’s behaviour has
been so violent and eruptive that many species have been extinguished in their prime and it is true to say
that the dangers of inhabiting our beloved planet are no less diminished today.
Yet present civilizations have never experienced the full range of enormity of which the earth is capable and to which it is subject. These are the forces of history, and volcanic activity has had a profound effect on the development of human society. We can understand ourselves, our evolution and our impact upon the planet, only when we look at our existence on the grand scale of time. Most contemporary societies deal only in desperately trivial measures of time, yet the entire record of human history is but a speck of geological time. We have no written accounts of utterly devastating geothermal eruptions caused by the earth trying to turn inside out, but that is not to say that human beings have not experienced such major, catastrophic events. We do have mythology. Stories abound from indigenous cultures across the planet describing our immense landscapes and how they were formed. Fables about gods and almighty beings stomping, fighting, ravaging and romancing across land and sea, form incredibly astute explanations of how the world came to be and indeed how it changes in form. These stories of creation are in essence an expression of the grand scale of time and this understanding of geological evolution is reflected in the physical scale and great powers of these mythical gods’ activities. This correlation of scientific and traditional knowledge forms a conceptual synthesis for the Molten Godhead project. The live presentation of Molten Godhead aims to convey the immense power and force with which the earth transforms its surface and the immense scale of time that clocks these processes. The work will incorporate performative elements that express the human relationship with volcanic activity- from sacrificial ceremony, through tragedy & tenacity to scientific exploration. The concept is to present these scenes within a fully landscaped, geothermal environment that envelops an audience. As like our planet, this project has a history! In 1994, Ben Blakebrough and Miles van Dorssen began a period of intense development of the practical hardware associated with producing molten iron at 1600 degrees Celsius. The refractories division of the local steel mill were invited to contribute to the project by donation of some refractory materials. This initial contact was the beginning of an invaluable partnership with BHP Refractories that greatly assisted creation of the furnace and devices for the Molten Godhead performances. An injection of funds to the project was gratefully received in 1995 from the Australia Council for the Arts. This funding was used to develop specialized devices for manipulating molten iron in practical and spectacular ways. The buggy was built to transport molten iron from the furnace to various specialty devices like the iron gun, used to spray a huge plume of molten iron rain, and also the iron dish, created to imitate a volcanic crater whilst erupting intensely. The whole concept for the show had greatly evolved to become an expression of the awesome power inherent in the earth’s core, an unleashing of energy through volcanic upheaval. The molten iron was now playing a role as the liquid spirit of the earth gods. And the performers creating it had seemingly little control over these wild processes. The year long development project culminated in a one off performance in White Bay, Sydney, Australia on the 27th April, 1996. This performance was staged as a free event to the public and Ben & Miles were greatly supported by many artists and organizations. Further development proceeded for some time after this performance, to refine the devices used to manipulate the unorthodox medium of molten iron and continue conceptual development of the work. There have, however, been no additional performances of the Molten Godhead project to date. With a dedicated team, we now consider that we are able to pilot this project to its destined outcome – creation of a large scale, immersive landscape of geothermal activity and an encompassing expression of the collective human experience of such phenomena. This web archive has been established with the aim of promoting the Molten Godhead Project for a International presentation sometime from 2009 onward. The project management seeks expressions of interests from Festivals, Art Institutions and Cultural Philanthropists in regards to financing a presentation of this unique and spectacular artwork. Please contact info@moltengodhead.com for more information. 
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