Artist Luke Jerram has caught H1N1—as well as SARS, E. Coli, Smallpox, and HIV, among others. The sculptor and photographer is not ill, however. He's merely hoping to demonstrate the impact and history of various fatal diseases through encasing and photographing them at London’s Smithfield Gallery. Viral Sculptures, an exhibition five years in the making, brings Jerram’s representations of viruses and bacteria to the public for the first time. Though both viruses and bacteria are naturally transparent, scientists and journalists often color them for the global audience, effectively heightening viewer response. Jerram, however, showcases the strains in their naturally pallid state in jewel-like glass formations, which he collaborated on with glassblowers Kim George, Brian Jones, and Norman Veitch, depicting the complexities of the faulty scientific representations the public has long been exposed to. Visitors can catch Viral Sculptures on display through October 9.
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