Alchemy – Art Installation

The alchemy between science and art… A collaboration between the growth of the HIV virus with that of ceramics…
The slow growth of a form taking over and evolving beyond itself into something much larger. The eerie and scary beauty of growth.

HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) with just 9 genes, 100 nm in size, attacks, integrates its genetic material and replicates hidden inside the very intelligent CD4 helper lymphocyte cells of the most complex organism at the top of the hierarchy in phylogenetic tree; the humans, that is primed to destroy it! So, who is more intelligent?

Alchemy is a collaborative art installation done for Flame University campus, Pune. The collaboration has been with Shweta Rana, a microbiologist that specialises in researching the HIV virus. The work has been a result of understanding Shweta’s research and getting a better understanding of the workings of the virus within our human body.

The entire installation consists of parts made in various sizes. The smaller particles lead to 2 large pieces that depict the growth of the virus eventually taking over the entire human body. The surface of the pieces have been textured and treated to depict the complexity of each and every single molecule.

Year of exploration 2017
Gas fired