Mercure Lamp Playfully Shows How Electricity is Conducted

The Mercure Lamp is a tactile, interactive lighting design by the French designer Lucie Le Guen. Inspired by the classic mercury tilt switch, the design features a blown glass vessel with metal beads inside. The lamp requires manual labor to move the ball bearings from one end to the other, turning the light on and off. In Le Guen’s design, the conductive marbles are made of steel, a safer choice than mercury, and the lightbulb is an eco-friendly LED. Her curious lamp serves as a playful reminder of how things work and have been designed in various ways throughout history. A pleasure for design and science buffs alike, this concept was realized by Le Guen and craftsmen from the French workshops of Fluïd Création Verre, Bretagne UGV, and LabFab Rennes.