Decoding the Tree of Life, 2021
The Pavilion at Penn Medicine, Philadelphia, PA
Blown glass, cast stainless steel, terrazzo
38’-8” x 18-3” x 18’-3”
Photography: Daniel Burke Photography, courtesy UPHS
My approach to this artwork was to create something that was ethereal and had a magical lightness- to create an artwork that was uplifting and had a sense of wonder, beauty, and transcendence to it. I wanted to make doctors, patients, and visitors aware of their surroundings, not only to connect them to the physical and natural world around them, but also connecting to the cultural context of the newly opened Pavilion at Penn Medicine (UPHS).
The beginnings of the form itself took inspiration from three distinct forms; a river, a tree, and DNA, exploring how science and medicine can help us understand the basic foundations of life and to help us unlock these incredibly complex codes in Decoding the Tree of Life. This two-story sculpture is suspended from the pavilion’s ceilings, and weaves between the ground floor and connector levels within the Pavilion’s atrium.
Made within UAP’s Rock Tavern foundry, Lin oversaw the entire making process, from the original mock-up to the final form. 22 cast stainless steel branches were welded together to create the artwork’s core structure, then over 15,500 handblown glass bulbs were affixed trunk and branches.
Decoding the Tree of Life is a site-specific permanent installation commissioned by the University of Pennsylvania Health System
Related Press:
Crimmins, Peter. UPenn Designed its Newest Hospital Building for Healing. WHYY (November 1, 2021)
