Glass Microbiology: COVID-19

British artist Luke Jerram’s Glass Microbiology: COVID-19 visualizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus into a tangible and reflective glass object. Part of his long-standing Glass Microbiology series, which he began in 2004, this sculpture renders a 23cm diameter representation of the coronavirus, approximately two million times larger than the real microbe sculpture, in transparent, colorless glass. Commissioned by an American university 8 weeks before the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, the sculpture was initially intended to visualize their research. After the global outbreak, this artwork elevates its status to a tribute to the scientists and medical teams who are working collaboratively across the world to try to slow the spread of the virus. Jerram eventually sold editions of the sculpture to museums internationally and raised over £55,000 for Médecins Sans Frontières to help their work supporting communities impacted by the pandemic.

The sculpture is composed of a smooth, spherical body surrounded by evenly spaced spike proteins and small floating molecules in the interior. Crafted through the meticulous process of glassblowing, the sculpture adheres closely to current scientific representations of the virus. Unlike the artificially colored renderings commonly seen in media coverage, Jerram’s sculpture is completely transparent. This reflects the reality that viruses are smaller than the wavelength of light and, therefore, have no color. The clear glass surface heightens the visual tension between aesthetic beauty and biological threat, while emphasizing the fragility of both the medium and its subject. In transforming an invisible pathogen into a delicate, luminous form, Jerram invites reflection on the intertwined vulnerability and resilience of human life during a global medical crisis.