"Outbreak" is an exquisite paper sculpture by Rogan Brown.

It's an ode to the Human Microbiome Project, an on-going scientific study of the vast, diverse colonies of bacteria that live inside us.

A closer look.

"For me as a visual artist the job was to help change public perception of bacteria from something negative and dirty to something that is by and large benign if not crucial for the healthy functioning of our bodies," Brown says.

Brown started by researching bacteria and quickly discovered the "surreal, magical and beautiful world" they constitute inside all of us.

In all, the piece took Brown four months to make. There was one month of drawing, two months to hand cutting the paper, and one month at the end to get everything assembled.

The work, he says, pushes his patience to the limits.

"I work these sculptures in the same way as medieval monks worked to illustrate sacred manuscripts," he says.

"Slowly and painstakingly--the work itself being a hymn to the thing it is describing."