scimath
Angel of the West
Artist: Julian Voss-Andreae
Angel of the West (2008) was inspired by the structure of the human immune system’s key molecule, the antibody. Like tiny guardian angels, legions of antibodies constantly protect us from ill and disease. Their ability to bind to specific molecules makes them a valuable tool in biomedical research, crucial for understanding the machinery of life and allowing Western medicine to develop vaccinations and novel pharmaceuticals. The sculpture plays on the striking similarity of both proportion and function of the antibody molecule and the human body. A representation of the antibody molecule, in a style I developed, is surrounded by a ring evocative of Leonardo’s Renaissance icon Vitruvian Man (1490). Where man’s arms reach up to touch the circle with his hands, the molecule’s flexible ‘arms’ ending in highly specific hand-like regions hold on to the ring. The antibody’s ‘hands’ function to hold on to an intruder, for example a virus, thus tagging it for destruction through the immune system. Reminiscent of spiritual imagery, a set of rays emanates from the spot where the center of the human head would be located in Leonardo’s drawing.
Angel of the West
Artist: Julian Voss-Andreae
Angel of the West (2008) was inspired by the structure of the human immune system’s key molecule, the antibody. Like tiny guardian angels, legions of antibodies constantly protect us from ill and disease. Their ability to bind to specific molecules makes them a valuable tool in biomedical research, crucial for understanding the machinery of life and allowing Western medicine to develop vaccinations and novel pharmaceuticals. The sculpture plays on the striking similarity of both proportion and function of the antibody molecule and the human body. A representation of the antibody molecule, in a style I developed, is surrounded by a ring evocative of Leonardo’s Renaissance icon Vitruvian Man (1490). Where man’s arms reach up to touch the circle with his hands, the molecule’s flexible ‘arms’ ending in highly specific hand-like regions hold on to the ring. The antibody’s ‘hands’ function to hold on to an intruder, for example a virus, thus tagging it for destruction through the immune system. Reminiscent of spiritual imagery, a set of rays emanates from the spot where the center of the human head would be located in Leonardo’s drawing.