MERCURY, Hg

THE CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT, TCD

The only liquid metal, mercury is both enchanting and toxic. Looking at it, it’s easy to see how this heavy liquid earned the nickname, “quicksilver”. Before its dangers were fully realised, mercury’s undoubted beauty was exploited by the Moorish rulers of medieval Spain in ornamental garden pools. People were invited to dip their fingers into these mercury-filled pools and watch the sunbeams reflect of the metal’s surface throughout the courtyards they were built in. This piece recreates the mercury pools of Moorish Spain, with a mercury-filled glass dish that responds to the vibrations of a speaker underneath.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

RECREATION OF MERCURY POOL, THE CHEMISTRY DEPARTMENT, TRINITY COLLEGE DUBLIN, IE