Duke University commissioned Luke Jerram to add to his Glass Microbiology series to better understand the SARS-COV-2 virus through visualization. Known for his glass representations of the swing flu, smallpox, and ebola, the artist shows his glass skills by depicting bacteria and viruses.
While the pieces are beautiful and appear delicate, they offer the viewer a sense of tension due to the viruses' detrimental effects on the human species. More recently, the artist took on a more positive sculptural project. Luke Jerram created a glass sculpture of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine to represent hope amidst the pandemic's uncertainty. All of the artist's sculptures are based on scientific diagrams and electron microscopic images to ensure anatomical accuracy.
Image Credit: Luke Jerram
Why This Trend Is Growing
- Scientific Glass Art
- The trend of creating glass sculptures based on scientific diagrams and microscopic images offers opportunity for innovation in art, science, and education industries.
- Medical Visualization Art
- As medical visualizations become more in demand, there is potential for disruptive innovation in the health, art, and technology industries to provide more accessible and accurate representations of medical structures.
- Pandemic-inspired Art
- With the ongoing pandemic, creating art that evokes a sense of hope and unity offers opportunities for innovation in the art, education, and healthcare industries.
Industries Being Reshaped
- Art
- The use of scientific diagrams and microscopic images for glass art creates an opportunity for innovation in the art industry to showcase science in a visually appealing way.
- Science
- There is potential for innovation in the science industry to use glass sculptures as a tool for medical education and research.
- Healthcare
- Innovations in medically-accurate visualization through art can have applications in healthcare education and communication.
