James Balmforth (B. 1980)

‘Gallium and Fat share a “Phase Boundary”, the point at which a material changes state, such as from solid to liquid. Gallium is a solid metal at room temperature but melts on contact with the body. It is the only elemental metal with such a close relationship to human metabolic heat. Fat functions in part as an energy store and to generate warmth in animals. It is a life-sustaining substance essential for nourishment and fuel. Gallium and fat occupy discrete categories of metal / flesh, inorganic / organic, and it was coming to understand both the contrasts and correspondences of these two materials that led to the making of the Phase Boundary series’ (James Balmforth, 2015).