Mercurial

These compelling little hand sculptures are derived from the mercury tilt switches in old household thermostats.

 Allow the liquid metal inside to slide against the contacts and the LED indicator lights up.  The indicator itself is adjustable too, providing another degree of interactivity.

Every element was found — scrap yards, second-hand stores, dumpsters — then cleaned, stripped, sorted and rebuilt. Found aluminum is TIG-welded and sanded seamless; nothing is cast. The electronics are salvaged from consumer devices, repaired and rewired so the piece does something when you touch it.