E.Coli by Luke Jerram

About

5 million times bigger than the real bacteria, Bristol-based Luke Jerram's inflatable E. coli sculpture will be suspended from the ceiling of our Grand Gallery.

When standing next to it, does the bacteria alter your personal sense of scale? Does it look scary, beautiful, comical or alien? Will you be attracted or repelled by it?

Bacteria were the earliest form of life on our planet, and so this artwork could be considered as a curious portrait of our distant ancestors. If there is life on other planets (or moons) in our solar system, it may well look like this. This artwork was also made to reflect upon the importance of bacteria in our lives. Although some forms of Escherichia coli (or E. coli) bacteria can cause illness and even death in humans, the use of the bacteria is vital in medical research.