Mercury Swift
they/xe/he
Baltimore, MD, USA
Mercury Swift is a multidisciplinary artist and educator in Baltimore, MD. They hold a BFA in Interdisciplinary Object Design from Towson University. Their work develops relationships between glass, metals, plastics, movement and the body. They have shown work in NYC, Chicago, Providence, and Baltimore.
Living through a non-binary lens, Swift is interested in discovering, capturing, and orchestrating an essence of natural beauty. They value of the life of material, appreciating the elemental compositions of glass, metals, and plastics, — as well as the power of heat, pressure and vision.
“‘Jack of Stars’ is a reflection on childhood — a processing of joy and loss. We are most vulnerable in childhood. ‘Jack of Stars’ hints at anxieties around youth and protection, hidden in soft motion and comforting silhouette.
I capture a moment of bliss in having found a balance in the heaviness + light of life. Escaping into the safety of my spirit, I am supported to reflect with love — rediscovering the beauty in discomfort and lessons in pain. I am crystallizing this experience of love in ‘Jack of Stars’, attempting to immortalize both my innocence + wisdom within the metal and glass.”
How does your work relate to the theme transformation— How does the work translate joy into strength?
"There is so much strength in vulnerability. The journey to self acceptance, liberation, and true self love is ever-evolving + can be so cold, dark, isolating. As a non-binary person growing up socialized into the binary, I always felt wrong. It took many uncomfortable years to identify myself, and then more to build a happy, safe life. I’ve found that to dive into myself is to trust myself — is to love all that I am.
In making this piece, I shed many tears while pondering on the gentleness of bringing this work to life, on the love I have for my lil queer child self, and also on the anxiety of wanting to protect something and not being able to. In this sculpture I am creating space for both to exist — the undeniable beauty and tragedy.
In the act of making, I respect the power in transforming material. As I create, I hold love and reverence for my elemental materials. I respect that metal is of the earth, as glass is of sand, and as plastic is of fossil fuels. I listen to my materials as I create, having conversations that no one else can hear – perhaps only feel the essence of in my completed objects. There is such deep intimacy and so much joy in creating this way. I’ve learned + continue to learn lessons about universal rhythm and where I fit into it during these moments."
"Jack of Stars [brand new friend]", Copper, Effetre glass, borosilicate, foraged mica, monofilament, cyanoacrylate, artwork, 4" x 4" x 26", 2023
"Some of the glass beads in this sculpture have sheets of mica trapped beneath clear glass — I foraged this mica from a trail in my neighborhood. I collected sheets from broken rocks, and brought them back to the studio where I separated, cleaned and dried each piece, and used them in my glass beads, much like one would with frit. Mica is a material close to my heart — when I was a child on hikes with my family, mica would catch my eye with its fae-like sparkle. It set my imagination off into fantasy realms, and put me on a path to loving, respecting and listening to nature. To hunt for, process, and capture the mica under glass, is to capture this eternal love I have for the natural world."
