Art / luke jerram
Luke Jerram unveils AstraZeneca vaccine sculpture
Luke Jerram’s latest masterpiece has been designed as a tribute to the scientists and medical teams who have been working to fight the global pandemic.
The glass sculpture of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, unveiled at the artist’s Paintworks studio on Friday, has been created using the same materials and techniques as those used in medical scientific glassware for test tubes and distilleries.
At 34cm across, the artwork is one million times larger than the actual nanoparticle.
is needed now More than ever
Created almost a year after Jerram created a sculpture of Covid-19, the five limited edition vaccine sculptures represent the way out of the global crisis and all profits from sales will go to the global charity Médecins Sans Frontières to help communities around the world that have been heavily impacted by the pandemic.
The artist behind the ‘Play Me I’m Yours’ street piano project, the Museum of the Moon and the multi-coloured glass dome on permanent display at Bristol University says he is still feeling the effects of the virus after testing positive in November.
“When I created a sculpture of Covid-19 back in March, little did I know I’d later be among those to contract the virus,” says Jerram.
“It’s an awful disease and two months on, my sense of smell is shot, I have tinnitus and still feel tired at times.
“During my recovery, it became clear to me that my next artwork should focus on the vaccine, our way out of this global crisis, as a tribute to the scientists and medical teams who have been working collaboratively across the world to fight the virus.
“It’s brilliant that such effective vaccines have been created in such a short space of time and that here in the UK we’ve been able to role them out so quickly. However, the fight against the disease is a global one, which is why I wanted to support Médecins Sans Frontières, through the sale of these sculptures.”
Luke Jerram’s latest sculpture is a tribute to the scientists and medical teams who have been working to fight the global pandemic – photo courtesy of Luke Jerram/Spirit PR
The vaccine sculpture is the latest in Jerram’s Glass Microbiology series of virus sculptures, and was one of the most complicated to make, taking a month to complete with his team at the National Glass Centre in Sunderland.
The sculptures have been sold to private collectors and museums around the world – including a global rock superstar – raising £17,500 so far for Médecins Sans Frontières.
Main photo courtesy of Luke Jerram/Spirit PR
Read more: Social distancing – Southville-style
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
