The kind people at Invitae commissioned me to do a 16’x8′ mural for their new Cambridge office’s entryway. They are a genetic information company specializing in affordable genetic testing for medicine. Their motto, “We are all connected“, resonated strongly with what I believe and want to put out into the world.
I also really liked the vortex or iris-like shape in their logo, and wanted to provide wayfinding for guests coming to their offices. Taking the idea of DNA as a basic building block of life, I wanted to use subtler references to what they do, by making a life-creating “vortex of awesomeness” that could be read as happening in either sea or space. The mandala-like radial figures spiraling outward are all inspired by diagrams of DNA as seen end-on. The subtle bar texture in the background is inspired by the graphical output of a gene sequence.
The installation was done over a period of about 5 days, in combination acrylic and spray paint. I wanted a bit of street art style from the spraypaint, but also love the luminous depth you can get by massaging a surface with transparent washes, and the liveliness of brushwork.
Here is a 3-minute time lapse of the process: