Metamorphosis

The Science

The metamorphosis of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly is one of the most beautiful changes on Earth. The caterpillar enters a chrysalis (a protective cast), where the body of the caterpillar breaks down into a kind of “soup” made of special cells (known as imaginal cells). These special cells are the building blocks for the butterfly. They grow and rearrange into new parts like wings, legs, and antennae. To the untrained eye this seems like magic, but, in fact, this a recipe carefully controlled by the caterpillar’s DNA. After days or weeks, the fully-formed butterfly emerges, ready to fly.

The Medium

Whilst the final form is a 3D print, like a butterfly, the artwork started off life as a picture I had drawn in pencil and painted. I took a photograph of the picture and turned it into a jpg file format that could be manipulated on a computer. This image was then converted into a stl file format for 3D printing. The object was then printed using white and black PLA filament. Whilst the 3D print looks flat, the relief makes the object more tactile, allowing the viewer to “feel” the caterpillar/butterfly image.

Artist Bio

Claire Price (she/her) is Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at Swansea University Medical School, UK. She is a 3D printing nerd and loves to find new ways to use the medium. (Bluesky - @claireprice.bsky.social).

Additional Images of Artwork