Creepy Skull Hourglass ‘Kills Time’ and Looks Like Dark Magic

Eric Mesplé’s sculpture, Killing Time. The artist created a massive hourglass that stands 78 inches tall, made with bronze, aluminum, steel, glass, electromagnets, ferrofluid, microcontrollers, and sensors.

Watching the sculpture move, it’s hard not to feel a little unsettled. The ferrofluid rises up from the hourglass and into the skull’s gaping mouth, where it forms a spiky, pulsing ball.

What looks like run-of-the-mill ink comes alive and dances when introduced to a strong magnet. The spiky, transformable liquid looks a lot like dark magic.

The skull pulls more fluid up as a viewer approaches. Mesplé intended for people to feel like they are taking a risk by getting too close.