Client: University of Kansas Cancer Center

Overview

Immuno was a project commissioned by the University of Kansas Cancer Center. This project is an abstraction of the cellular healing of cancer cells. I’m particularly proud of this project because it creates a vibrant spectacle in an environment that can sometimes be emotionally difficult. I believe the work I have made is helping the patrons of this hospital.

Goals

Our predominant conceptual goal was the abstract the medical process of targeting cancer cells. The forms came through as two teams of clustered cells with corresponding color schemes.

The second goal we had was to make this work invigorate the hospital environment. We knew the three story atrium had daylight from two walls of windows. This made it important for the work to be visible day and night. We prototyped our glass disks using an LED panel inside the two pieces, like a sandwich. This combination of interior LEDs and exterior colored glass made the work vibrant and visible at any time of day.

Process

The creative process went through many discussion of color and pattern. Once the final scheme was chosen, my team of glassblowers and I created each disk by hand. Our process is a bit unique since many of the disks, rondels, were then fused together into groups using a kiln. This difference of fusing the blown glass allows our work to be much bigger than typical blown glass scale.

Additional Information

I was contacted by Ed Tranin, an Architect and Designer, who offered a collaborative approach to me. The subject matter was based on electron microscopic images of T- Cells and Cancer cells. The images coupled with Ed's understanding of the science began to form the conceptual images of T-cells: coded Red, Yellow and orange by researchers. Attacking Cancer cells: coded blue and purple also by researchers. As we began to trade sketches the concept evolved into a 3 story sculpture where the T-cells attack the Large Cancer mass at the top and then begins to break up as the T-cells interact and disperse the cancer as it descends.