Julian Voss-Andreae: sculpture
protein | quantum | figure
Synergy, 2013
"Synergy” is a sculpture for the Center for Integrative Proteomics Research (Rutgers University, NJ) based on the structure of the collagen molecule. Collagen, the most abundant protein in the human body, consists of three protein spirals that wind around each other, thereby creating a tight meta-spiral that is one of our body’s key structural elements.
Villin Headpiece Folding, 2011
“Villin Headpiece Folding” consists of four sculptures created with faculty and students of DePauw University for the science building. The sculptures are based on frames of a protein folding simulation by Klaus Schulten’s research group. This Emmy Award-winning video by Steven Drake features Voss-Andreae’s “Villin Headpiece Folding” (March 27, 2012).
Angel of the West, 2008
“Angel of the West” is 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 illness and disease. The sculpture plays on the striking similarity of both proportion and function of the antibody molecule to the human body.
A stylized representation of the antibody molecule is surrounded by a ring evocative of Leonardo’s Renaissance icon “Vitruvian Man” (1490). Commissioned as the signature piece for the new Florida campus of the prestigious Scripps Institute, the sculpture symbolizes the application of Western science to the art of healing.