Mitos is a love letter of sorts to my mom and my favorite things - biology, computation, and yarn. 

There were three main stages to realize this project - mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequencing, translation, and physicalization. First, I isolated, amplified and sequenced the hypervariable region of my mtDNA. Then I wrote a python script to map the nucleotide sequence of the mtDNA sequence into weaving instructions and patterns, and used the visual effects software Houdini to create and simulate the 3D model of the resulting weaving structure. Finally, I handwove the weaving instructions translated from my mitochondrial DNA's hypervariable region sequence using a Schacht 4-shaft floor loom.

At the core of the project is the significance of the mitochondrial DNA. The mitochondria, unlike other cellular organelles, have their own DNA and are inherited exclusively from the egg cell. I was fascinated by the knowledge that all of our mitochondria hence comes from our mothers, and how this makes the mtDNA a vital tool in studying matrilineal ancestry and the history of human migration. I wanted to use a technique that’s almost as old as my haplogroup M8's mutation and after learning that the root word of mitochondria is “Mitos” which means “thread” in Greek, weaving felt like a natural medium to manifest my personal ancestral data.

Now I can be embraced by my long lineage of mothers.