Rebecca Beachy is a Chicago-based artist, writer, and educator whose work examines the theme of combustion. In her installation Mercury's Hearth: Coal, Electricity, Fire, and Industry, she reimagines a copper coal hod as a globe, referencing the global impact of coal consumption. Perforations in the object cast constellations, linking the combustion of coal to the illumination of stars and prompting reflection on fire’s role in both domestic life and industrial progress.

Installed in the Nickerson Mansion, the work acknowledges coal as the force behind the home’s historical operations. Beachy notes, “Coal was really what created the Nickerson Mansion. It’s the labor; it’s the electricity; it’s the power behind industry of that era.” Her use of this material underscores the dual nature of combustion—as both a generator of energy and a driver of environmental change.

Beachy’s broader practice often incorporates found materials to explore the relationship between human systems and the natural world. Her transformations of these elements invite reflection on energy, extraction, and impermanence, encouraging viewers to consider how combustion has shaped not only our built environment but also our ecological legacy.