Microbiology

The Deadly Six is an installation commissioned to mark 30 years of breakthrough vaccines developed by the Oxford Vaccine Group.

Each element represents the viruses/bacteria/parasite of each of the six key diseases targeted by the vaccines: COVID-19; typhoid; pneumonia; meningitis; malaria; and Ebola.

All are made in woven willow, a native English tree imbued with historical medicinal associations dating back over 3,500 years. To create the work, Palmer worked in collaboration with leading basketmakers, Jenny Crisp, Isabelle Wilkes and Mel Bastier.

The artist worked closely with the weavers, who interpreted her sketches, inspired by scientific drawings and electron microscope images. The malaria element, in a teardrop shape to resemble the parasite's form as it invades the human blood cell, emits the sound of a recording taken from the second most dangerous mosquito in the world: its menacing whine plays on a one-minute loop and pauses for 10 seconds to reflect the fact that, on average, a child under the age of five dies every 60 seconds from malaria. The Deadly Six is on show at the Museum of Natural History in Oxford until April 21, 2025.