British artist Marc Quinn (b. 1964) is known for making work that challenges the boundaries between art and science.  Using a wide range of media including ice, glass, metal, marble and lead, Quinn's work addresses the transience of human life through scientific knowledge and artistic expression.

Standing at nearly 20 feet tall, Quinn's The Incredible World of Desire (Phragmipedium Sedenii) (2003 - 2004) appears to the human eye like what a real orchid must look like to a bee. A highly detailed and colorful photographic image of a Phragmipedium Sedenii orchid has been transferred onto a stainless steel framework.  Monumental from the front and back, the sculpture appears as a simple line in space when viewed from the side.  Quinn has described the effect as resembling a "flower superimposed on to the landscape" in a way that reminds him "of an image stuck on the front of a child's plastic toy."

The Incredible World of Desire (Phragmipedium Sedenii) (2003 - 2004) evolved from a series of works that Quinn made using silicone to freeze real flowers, including various types of orchids, in perfect bloom. Of all plants, Quinn describes his fascination with orchids in particular:

Orchids are like perfectly evolved little sculptures in themselves, they're full of colour, interesting shapes and beauty. Even though they are a plant's reproductive organs, they pun on human ones too. They make you realise it is colour, life and sexuality that keeps the world turning. They are a celebration of life. I like all kinds of flowers, irises, sunflowers and anthuriums are great but none are quite as good as orchids.

Wild orchids are often considered to be a symbol of fertility, purity and spiritual perfection. The Incredible World of Desire (Phragmipedium Sedenii) (2003 - 2004) is meant to "advertise the wonder of life" and to remind us, as Quinn puts it, of "the overwhelming sensuality of the natural world, whose life force is one of pure desire."