We study the evolution of unsteady two-dimensional vorticity structures surrounded by fluid at rest. The flow is initiated by a short fluid impulse in a horizontal layer of mercury and is constrained to be two-dimensional by a vertical uniform magnetic field. The impulse is generated by an electric pulse between two electrodes, and a flow circulation can be produced by diverting part of the current through the external frame. The velocity field is measured from the streaks of small particles floating on the free upper surface, and the vorticity is then obtained by means of an analytical interpolation and differentiation. The flow always evolves toward a set of independent steady structures with symmetry which are either circular vortices (monopoles) or couples (dipoles). The latter have a linear or circular steady motion depending on the flow circulation around them. The region of non-zero vorticity is always close to a circle. The steadiness is confirmed by plotting the vorticity versus the stream function in the frame of reference moving with the couple. We obtain a curve, as appropriate for a steady solution of the Euler equation. The slope of this curve is either constant or has no maximum. We suggest that this result could correspond to a general stability condition. The interaction between two symmetric couples at various angles of incidence yields two new couples by exchange of their vortices. Oscillations of the resulting couples are often damped by releasing a circular vortex.