My how the world would be dull without magnetic fields. No microphones, no rockets, no doorbells, no compasses, no cassettes, no credit cards, no magnet space wheels, no passive aggressive fridge notes between housemates, and no liquid magnetic art from Sachiko Kodama.

After graduating with a degree in physics, Kodama went on to study art, focusing on computer and holography art for her doctorate. She is now associate professor at University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo. These pulsating sculptures are the result of her ongoing experiments with ferrofluid, a magnetic liguid that was invented in the late ‘60s by NASA. The mesmerising Morpho Towers: Two Standing Spirals came from a collaborative project with Yasushi Miyajima, who created the musical score the forms are dancing to.

Kodama says that while these works were created with state-of-the art electromagnetic technology, they are inspired by natural phenomena like the ocean, tornados, plant life, sea urchins and rhythms of breath. She imagines that in the future, artificial intelligence may be applied to such materials and techniques as hers, and “if this becomes reality, computers that mimic natural forms may offer a more calm, relaxing and comfortable user experience.”