A HUMANISED BUTTERFLY NAMED LEDA MELANITIS. Marta de Menezes (PORTUGAL) and Yiannis Melanitis (GREECE). With the collaboration of Antonia Monteiro, Yale University (USA). A work of inserting a human gene (artists‘ Melanitis Yiannis) in a butterfly (species: Leda Melanitis, the Common Evening Brown of the Containing group: Melanitini, Linnaeus 1758 ). DESCRIPTION: One human gene, still to be identified during the research stage of the project, will be inserted into the butterfly genome. We are particularly interested in genes that encode for the eye. The human gene, obtained from Yiannis Melanitis genome, will be linked to a mCherry tag (named in science a reporter gene) in order to allow visual confirmation that the human gene was successfully introduced (as the reporter will provide red color in cells where the human gene is expressed). We are especially interested in following the expression of the human gene (and the reporter gene mCherry) in the eyes of the butterfly and its wing. Our aim is to create a hybrid organism with human genes that express human proteins on its wings. This Project will also be a good opportunity to further investigate if butterfly cells can recognize human proteins and respond to them . The collaborating scientists (Prof. Antonia Monteiro’s group at Yale) have experienced in the genetic manipulation of butterflies (see supporting information) and are interested in studying the outcome of this artistic project. In fact, co-option of the eye developmental gene regulatory network may have led to the appearance of novel functional traits on the wings of flies and butterflies. The first trait is a recently described wing organ in a species of extinct midge resembling the outer layers of the midge’s own compound eye. The second trait is red pigment patches on Heliconius butterfly wings connected to the expression of an eye selector gene, optix. It will therefore be challenging to find out whether introduction of a human gene related to eye development can lead to significant changes in butterflies eyes or wings. [For further information about the project, read the article titled "Physical Information Exhanges Between Organisms" here: http://melanitis.com/index.html ]

TELEPAPHUS. A sculpture head with antenna on the forehead (in accordance to the antenna of the mutant fruitfly) entitled Telepaphus, a hypothetical new god, synthetic clay 2005. On the sculpture's basis, the epigraph with the DNA code of the Antennapedia gene. ©Yiannis Melanitis

Human Meat, signed on top, diameter 6.5, height 4 cm, 2011 ©Yiannis Melanitis

Barak Obama's Hair, signed on top, diameter 6.5, height 4 cm, 2012 ©Yiannis Melanitis

BIO-ROBOTIC SYMBIOSIS. An integrated environment for animal-machine co-existence Bio-robotic symbiosis features a hexapod robot, two laboratory mice and the audience. The robot and the mice co-exist in a transparent plexiglass stand that is accessible to the audience. A video camera is attached on the robot sending image data to an originally designed Java program running on a PC. The program analyzes the video input in order to generate random sound and issue motion commands to the robot. Concept: Melanitis Y./ Java Programming: Sgouros N./ Technical help: Prokopiou P., Kousidou S. ©Yiannis Melanitis

Yiannis Melanitis