Tombstone

2021 
Gallium, wood
26 x 8 x 5 cm

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“Deal toys” or “tombstones” are plaques or trophies to commemorate a successful transaction in the finance industry. I have accumulated a number of these during my time in investment banking and private equity.

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Yet the dopamine-highs induced by goal-achievement quickly die down, and make way for an anxious urgency to pursue the next milestone; memories of the transactions are certain to fade. The shelf-top trophy then becomes the only physical evidence immortalizing a moment of exultation. But is there anything that doesn’t eventually expire?

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In this piece, I have recreated a “tombstone” using Gallium, a metal that melts at 29.8 Celsius (85.6 Fahrenheit). During Summer nights, when the air-cons shut down in the office, it slowly melts away. I hold it tightly in an attempt to preserve and prolong its representations, but my grip only speeds its disintegration into silver puddles.