p block (plumbum) halcyon 2007
The Latin name for lead is Plumbum. It’s one of the ‘poor metals’ in the P-block of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements. Other poor metals are pewter and tin. Lead is heavy. A block of lead my weight (around 74 kilos) might measure 20 cubic centimetres. Like other heavy metals, such as mercury, cadmium, zinc and cobalt, lead causes damaging physical and mental problems if ingested orally or through prolonged skin contact. But as well as being toxic lead also protects from harmful electro-magnetic rays (ultravioket, x-rays, gamma rays, nuclear radiation).
For centuries it was used in the manufacture of oil paints. Lead is malleable, which means it’s soft and pliable. Folded, it assumes the shape of fabric. In fact I think of lead as being another state for cloth.
Lead, like glass, never stops moving. It’s going down forever, pulled by gravity.
John Barbour, P-block (Plumbum) Halcyon, April 2007
For centuries it was used in the manufacture of oil paints. Lead is malleable, which means it’s soft and pliable. Folded, it assumes the shape of fabric. In fact I think of lead as being another state for cloth.
Lead, like glass, never stops moving. It’s going down forever, pulled by gravity.
John Barbour, P-block (Plumbum) Halcyon, April 2007