In 1990, Reiko Sudo employed “spatter-plating” technology developed by the automotive industry to make a series of revolutionary sheer, metal-coated, polyester fabrics. Later, she returned to a more traditional method to produce Mercury. Gold and silver foils by themselves are not particularly innovative, as they were used on Japanese kimono silks; but in Mercury, NUNO’s mixture of modern and traditional materials filtered through a contemporary aesthetic creates its own alchemy. Aluminum foil applied in irregular dots to two layers of silk organdy (one white, one blue) with the addition of acrylic resin gives a somewhat bolder répoussé effect resembling drops of spilled liquid metal.