PAST EVENT: This was part of the EAF22 programme.

This 90ft long inflatable sculpture by Bristol-based Luke Jerram was suspended from the ceiling of the National Museum of Scotland’s Grand Gallery.

The E.coli sculpture was 5 million times bigger than the real bacteria. When standing next to it, does the bacteria alter our personal sense of scale? Does it look scary, beautiful, comical or alien? Are audiences attracted or repelled by it?

This artwork was also made to reflect upon the importance of bacteria in our lives. There are 10 times more bacterial cells on and within our bodies than there are human cells. 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. Often described as the ‘workhorse’ of biomedicine, E.coli are used by scientists to replicate DNA. One of the first useful applications of recombinant DNA technology was the manipulation of E.coli to produce human insulin.