An island emerges between Sicily and Tunisia in 1831, attracts competing territorial claims, then disappears beneath the sea. Elisa Giardina Papa returns to this history in a film where geological forces exceed human control. Coloured smoke, water and volcanic matter shift attention from borders to what undoes them. The island becomes less a territory to possess than an apparition capable of unsettling our narratives of sovereignty.
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Film: 2026. Presented at ICA London, 17 July–6 September 2026. ICA video excerpt published 9 July 2026. Source and context.
