Do you know how germs look? Also so that you do not feel revolted when you see them. Luke Jerram makes glass sculptures, which represent our bacteria and viruses we are scared of.

These transparent glass sculptures were created to contemplate the global impact of each disease and to consider how the artificial colouring of scientific imagery affects our understanding of phenomena. Jerram is exploring the tension between the artworks’ beauty and what they represent, their impact on humanity.

To the author’s mind, microbiologists and scientists make us believe that viruses and bacteria are bright colored, however in reality it is not always so.

The sculptures were designed in consultation with virologists from the University of Bristol using a combination of different scientific photographs and models. They were made in collaboration with glassblowers Kim George, Brian Jones and Norman Veitch.

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