DROSOPHILA TITANUS
By Andy Gracie (GB)
Drosophila titanus is an ongoing project which, through a process of experimentation and artificial selection, aims to develop a new species of the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster that would be theoretically capable of living on Saturn's largest moon, Titan. While still being vastly different, Titan is currently the world most similar to Earth that we know of. Using Drosophila and Titan as metaphors for the human species and Earth respectively, Drosophila titanus employs the methodologies of experimentation, simulation and artificial selection to explore themes of species, biological perfection, and the perception of and future of life. Beyond the exploration of biological and evolutionary issues, the project engages with biosemiotics in questioning the nature of reality, and organic perception of environmental sensory signals.
BIO
Andy was born in London in 1967 and is an artist with a long track record of working in the rich territory between art and science. His work commonly features mechanical apparatus that perform real time experiments, and includes video, sound and performative elements. He has exhibited internationally in major new media shows and lectured on his work and its theory around the world. He has curated and coordinated several interdisciplinary encounters, run numerous workshops and masterclasses, and taught students at universities across Europe. He was one of the founders of the internationally acclaimed DIY science collective Hackteria. Alongside his practical work, he is a regular presenter at art and science conferences around the world, from the Finnish Arctic to the US Library of Congress.