One Lucky Soul: Mindblowing Glass Sculptures of Viruses

Monday 4 June 2012

Mindblowing Glass Sculptures of Viruses

HIV

Multidisciplinary artist and glass blower Luke Jerram decided to take art to a whole new level. For a long time he has looked at photos of germs and viruses and wondered if the artificial colour we add to the photos affect the way we see these microscopic organisms. Despite being actually colourless, when we picture them we usually use green and orange; why not make them into transparent sculptures which will allow us to appreciate their true form.

This was the inspiration for the following ingenious series of glass sculptures, each an accurate 1:1,000,000 scale model of an actual virus. You can find more of Luke Jerram’s work on his Website.

Enjoy.

Avian Flu

Amoeba

Human Papilloma (HPV)

MRSA

Ev71 – Hand Foot and Mouth Disease


H1N1 Influenza – Swine Flu

H1N1 Influenza – Swine Flu

Swine Flu (oval)

Adenovirus

Salmonella

Small Pox

T4 Bacteriophage ― with uncanny resemblance to a Praying Mantis

E. Coli

E. Coli Details

Sars Coronavirus

Bluetongue Virus

Malaria

Ebola

The last two pieces are not of viruses but it’s from the same creative mind.
So here they are as a bonus.

This sculpture was made to contemplate the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. To create the sculpture, a seismogram of the earthquake was rotated using computer-aided design and then printed in three-dimensions using rapid prototyping technology. Wickedly brilliant.