Huck SciArt team’s ‘BioMachine’ installed at Penn State Harrisburg

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. - "BioMachine," a large-scale multimedia art installation bringing together science, research and creative expression to explore the role of viruses in everyday life, has been installed for a long-term engagement at Penn State Harrisburg.

The piece was designed and fabricated by the SciArt team at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences at Penn State and is currently located in the Olmsted north atrium (center hallway) on campus. The 10-foot-high aluminum sculpture, which mirrors the architecture of many viruses, offers an interactive exploration of the viruses that permeate the world and how humanity must co-exist with them.

Depictions of viruses incorporated into the 'BioMachine' sculpture include influenza, SARS-CoV-2, herpes simplex virus and Zika, all of which are researched at the Huck. LED screens embedded within the structure display rotating videos and visualizations that are directly inspired by this ongoing research.

"We are pleased to have this unique art installation on campus," said Penn State Harrisburg Chancellor David Callejo Pérez. "The piece reflects how viruses are an ever-present part of the human experience and how our responses to viruses have driven major advances in medicine, food security and technology. 'BioMachine' translates this research into an engaging visual learning experience, allowing our campus community and visitors to explore viral structures through sculpture, motion, and digital visualization."

Artistically rendered cross-sections of viruses appear across the surface of the installation structure. These images are grounded in real viral anatomy and resemble the interlocking gears of a machine. Components such as surface proteins, RNA and DNA sequences, nucleocapsid proteins, and other viral elements are represented as moving "gears," emphasizing the intricate mechanics of viral function.

"The installation presents one large icosahedral structure - a geometric shape with 20 sides, each an equilateral triangle - that represents the architecture of many viruses, along with spike proteins and other viral components," said Talley Fisher, senior research artist at The SciArt Group, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences and Institute of Energy and the Environment. "Through the lens of art, we visualize and explore the otherwise unseen microscopic world."

The piece is the result of a collaborative effort between artists, researchers and engineers. The installation includes a custom-built, 3D-printed navigational prototype created and coded by a 2022 graduate of Penn State Behrend's engineering program, Allison Huffman. The videos are updated remotely using a networked media player. Future updates will include real-time data.

All visualizations featured in the installation were created by Daryl Branford, director of Science-Art Initiatives at the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, for Huck Institutes researchers, translating scientific data into compelling visual narratives that are accessible to both academic and public audiences.

"'BioMachine' transforms scientific data into an immersive experience, revealing viruses as dynamic systems rather than abstract concepts," Branford said. "It invites viewers to see biology not as something distant or microscopic, but as an active force shaping our world. Through my work as director of Science-Art Initiatives, I design and direct immersive scientific experiences that turn complex research into spaces for curiosity, movement, and discovery."

'BioMachine' brings together art, technology, and scientific research to invite viewers to consider viruses not only as biological entities, but as complex systems that continue to shape research, innovation and daily life.