"BioMachine," a large-scale multimedia art installation bringing together science, research and creative expression to explore the role of viruses in everyday life, has been installed for a long-term engagement at Penn State Harrisburg.
The piece was designed and fabricated by the SciArt team at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State and is currently located in the Olmsted north atrium (center hallway) on campus. The 10-foot-high aluminum sculpture, which mirrors the architecture of many viruses, offers an interactive exploration of the viruses that permeate the world and how humanity must co-exist with them.
Depictions of viruses incorporated into the 'BioMachine' sculpture include influenza, SARS-CoV-2, herpes simplex virus and Zika, all of which are researched at the Huck. LED screens embedded within the structure display rotating videos and visualizations that are directly inspired by this ongoing research.
"We are pleased to have this unique art installation on campus," said Penn State Harrisburg Chancellor David Callejo Pérez. "The piece reflects how viruses are an ever-present part of the human experience and how our responses to viruses have driven major advances in medicine, food security and technology. 'BioMachine' translates this research into an engaging visual learning experience, allowing our campus community and visitors to explore viral structures through sculpture, motion, and digital visualization."
Artistically rendered cross-sections of viruses appear across the surface of the installation structure. These images are grounded in real viral anatomy and resemble the interlocking gears of a machine. Components such as surface proteins, RNA and DNA sequences, nucleocapsid proteins, and other viral elements are represented as moving "gears," emphasizing the intricate mechanics of viral function.
"The installation presents one large icosahedral structure - a geometric shape with 20 sides, each an equilateral triangle - that represents the architecture of many viruses, along with spike proteins and other viral components," said Talley Fisher, senior research artist at The SciArt Group, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and Institute of Energy and the Environment. "Through the lens of art, we visualize and explore the otherwise unseen microscopic world."
