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No, this isn't some modern take on the aluminum Christmas tree, but rather a dynamic sculpture that uses ferromagnetic nanoparticles to change its shape. Designed by Sachiko Kodama and Yasushi Miyajima, "Morpho Towers — Two Standing Spirals" is an installation art piece that features two metal spirals standing in a shallow pool of ferro fluid. As music begins to play, electromagnets inside the metal spirals cause the metal filings to move up and down the towers, each time taking a different shape. The more power supplied to the electromagnet, the higher the fluid climbs.

This reminds me a lot of the science experiment in grade school where you pour iron filings on a magnet, but taken to the extreme. While nanoparticles can be used in everything from mechanical engineering to aerospace and defense, seeing this beauty in motion is breathtaking.
— Stephen Schleicher

Take the jump to see the sculpture in action.

Morpho Tower, via Boing Boing