Adjustable Mirror 2024
PETG, rubber LEDs, liquid mercury, steel, 8 ball gear shifter
For my senior thesis project I set out to push the boundaries of what was considered furniture and at the same time transform the notion of a material. By arguing it a viable medium for craft, it joins the ranks of wood and steel and ceases to be known solely as a material of danger. It becomes a delicate object of beauty that in its very existence demands care and forethought to handle, display, and own. With this perfectly reflective liquid, I also changed the mirror into a dynamic object by allowing the mirrored surface itself to be turned, shaped, and tuned.
The design is comprised of flexible LED filament set into a 3D printed light track. The circuit is actuated by 8 liquid mercury switches that turn on when the frame is tilted. (See diagram) This creates a beautiful flicker when the light turns on because the mercury in the switch bounces as it settles into its "ON" position.
By adjusting the 8 ball vice on its base you are able to adjust your mirrors shape and at the same time sculpt the light that occupies the mirrors negative space. This otherwise hated substance has a new life in an object of vanity, and by extension, beauty.
This is furniture being made out of poison.