I’ve worked with ferrofluid for a decade now. For my 10-year anniversary I wanted to do something special, so I explored the creative process that led me down this path.
It all started with my intuition. The first time I saw ferrofluid I knew I found something special; a material that was visually impressive, virtually unknown, and extremely difficult to work with.
Fast forward two years of painful R&D and I created the first working “ferrofluid in a bottle.” I made sure the foundation I built on top of was a quality suspension liquid that preserved the ferrofluid and kept it from staining, instead of design and aesthetics.
Around 2012 ferrofluid displays went viral and I was the only one who made them. Since I had a solid base to work from, I invested my time into learning design and visual content to grow the awareness of ferrofluid.
Below is 10 years of experience.
More info: kickstarter.com
A tribute to the creative process.
INTUITION
For my 10-year anniversary, I decided to honor that inner voice that told me to pursue ferrofluid as a new artistic medium. The “lightbulb moment” is appropriately materialised in physical form. When activated, the sculpture mirrors the fluidity of ideas bouncing back and forth in your mind, some brighter than others.
Activate the bulb as soon as it’s placed on the base.
Increase the brightness by using the liquid dimmer.
Lift the ferrofluid for more illumination.
To this day, it’s mesmerizing watching fluid dynamics in a magnetic field.
NANO TREE
A fascinating characteristic of ferrofluid is its ability to follow the grooves on a magnetized piece of metal. This is the classic “magnetized bolt experiment.” It’s incredibly satisfying watching ferrofluid spiraling around the grooves. The passive ferrofluid bud is equally impressive from an aesthetic point of view.
Magnetised bolt encased in a laboratory vial that’s embedded in oak blocks.
Swoop the leather microfiber ring up and down for squeaky clean glass.
PRIME
The original “ferrofluid in a bottle.” The Prime has been updated with a solid Red Oak cap. The cap is hand-sanded, stained, and finally sealed in a protective semi-gloss coating. The display is accompanied by two matching hand-worked Red Oak neodymium magnets. The pair of magnets is conveniently stored by snapping it onto the magnetic nail embedded on top of the cap.
One of the most amusing interactions with ferrofluid is bouncing it back and forth with two magnets.
All the displays are available in 3 colors. Black, Blue and Gold.
Classic “ferrofluid in a bottle.”