Lipid Nanoparticle

Artist / Maker Luke Jerram ((British, b. 1974))

Date2020

MediumBlown glass

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineCommissioned by University Museums with funds from the Nanovaccine Institute and the Joyce Tomlinson Brewer Fund for Art Acquisition. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberU2020.54

Status

On view

Collections

CultureEnglish

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: This blown glass nanoparticle was commissioned for the Nanovaccine Institute at Iowa State University to feature the technologies being developed by research in the department’s labs. Nanovaccines are designed to prevent respiratory infections, neural disorders, cancer, and other illnesses. Balaji Narasimham, a member of the commission’s public art committee, hand-drew a model of a standard nanoparticle, which the artist then translated into glass. The installation, displayed in three parts alongside E. Coli, the Covid-19 Virus, and Swine Flu, represents how the nanoparticles work to counter these infections. This Nanoparticle is a part of Jerram’s larger Glass Microbiology series, which presents glass viruses, nanoparticles, and bacteria in a different light from the typical multicolored illustrations often found in science textbooks. By providing a large-scale model, the art object serves as a tool for education, but also prompts viewers to reconsider their perspectives on the submicroscopic world.

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