Curating an exhibition while writing a history

Rugpjūčio 27 dieną Lietuvos meno pažinimo centre „Tartle“ atidarytos parodos „1918–1945 / Kaunas–Vilnius“ kuratorės, dailės istorikės Dovilė BARCYTĖ ir Ieva BURBAITĖ dalijasi patirtimi apie netipišką parodos kuravimą karantino metu ir aptaria ekspozicijos turinį. Kitoks. Turbūt šis žodis geriausiai apibūdina parodos kuravimo procesą karantino sąlygomis. Tiesa, įvertinus galutinį rezultatą, tai galbūt net buvo naudinga. Viena vertus, turėjome mažiau galimybių fiziškai dirbti su eksponatais, kita vertus, galėjome daugiau laiko skirti pačiam tyrimui ir tekstui. Parodos koncepcija išsigrynino ne fiziškai atrenkant ir grupuojant objektus, bet galvojant, ką apie pasirinktą laikotarpį norime pasakyti ir kaip eksponatai gali padėti tą naratyvą sukurti. Tad parodos kuravimas prasidėjo šiek tiek neįprastai. Karantino metu parašyti tekstai virto vaizdu jau sugrįžus į galerijos patalpas. Tokia koncepcija, kai dailė ir tekstas vienas kitą lygiavertiškai papildo, puikiai tinka „Tartle“ atveju, nes galerijos lankymas įprastai vyksta tik ekskursijų formatu, orientuojantis į valandą trunkantį pasivaikščiojimą, o parodos eksponatams reikia komentarų.The art historians Dovilė BARCYTĖ and Ieva BURBAITĖ, curators of the exhibition ‘1918–1945 / Kaunas – Vilnius’ which opened at the Tartle Lithuanian Art Centre on 27 August, share their experience of the atypical curation of an exhibition during lockdown, and discuss the contents of the exhibition

Gediminass dream in art: the political and cultural context

Straipsnyje nagrinėjama mito apie Lietuvos sostinės Vilniaus įkūrimą recepcija dailės kūriniuose, tiksliau – Gedimino sapno siužeto ikonografija ir istorinis jos kontekstas, vertinant šio įvykio vaizdinius kaip siekį istorinėje sąmonėje įtvirtinti Gediminaičių dinastijos pradžią ir klestinčios nepriklausomos LDK su sostine Vilniuje įvaizdį, kartu atkreipiant dėmesį į jo svarbą formuojantis moderniajai lietuviškajai tapatybei. Tekste aptariami politiniai ir kultūriniai aspektai, turėję reikšmės Gedimino sapno motyvo vaizdavimo tradicijai susiformuoti ir kaitai dailės kūriniuose. Reikšminiai žodžiai: Gedimino sapnas, geležinis vilkas, Vilniaus įkūrimo legenda.In the article, the theme of Gediminas’s dream and its reception in 19th–21st century art is analyzed with a focus on the political and cultural aspects that made an impact on the formation of the tradition of representing this motif in artworks, and its change. It was not until the middle of the 19th century that this subject popularized by chroniclers and historians appeared in fine art; until then, it was only found in texts. The Gediminas legend combines real historical events and a mystical vision; thus, it is not surprising that this theme was aligned with the world perception of the 19th and early 20th century. Artists fascinated with the ideas of Symbolism expanded the rather literal iconography of Gediminas’s dream formed in the era of Romanticism, combining a nostalgic view of the past with ethnic motifs. In independent interwar Lithuania, stripped of its historical capital, the narrative of Gediminas’s dream became one of the key topics of propaganda art; its imagery was also successfully disseminated in popular culture. In the Soviet period, when patriotic aspirations were not tolerated in official art, the history of one of the founders of the Lithuanian state, Duke Gediminas, in many cases was reduced to the legend of the founding of the city of Vilnius. Finally, when the country’s independence was restored, the statehood-related connotation of this topic regained prominence, and a monument to Gediminas became probably the state’s most important initiative, and later, in the 1990s, also an object of discussions. The history of the founding of the capital of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania has not lost its relevance today, and its popular symbols (the Iron Wolf, the castle tower and the image of Grand Duke Gediminas) are used in both traditional and somewhat unexpected forms. Analysing how the relevance of the legend of Gediminas’s dream has been changing is one of the mo Iron Wolf, the castle tower and the image of Grand Duke Gediminas) are used in both traditional and somewhat unexpected forms. Analysing how the relevance of the legend of Gediminas’s dream has been changing is one of the most convenient ways to overview and explain the impact of the political situation on the language of art. Keywords: Gediminas’s dream, Iron Wolf, legend of the founding of Vilnius

<i>Lunachloris lukesovae</i> gen. et sp. nov. (Trebouxiophyceae, Chlorophyta), a novel coccoid green alga isolated from soil in South Bohemia, Czech Republic

<p>Culture collections of microorganisms can still hold undiscovered biodiversity; with molecular techniques, considerable progress has been made in characterizing microalgae which were isolated in the past and misidentified due to a lack of morphological features. However, many strains are still awaiting taxonomic reassessment. Here we analysed the phylogenetic position, morphology and ultrastructure of the strain CCALA 307 previously identified as <i>Coccomyxa</i> cf. <i>gloeobotrydiformis</i> Reysigl isolated in 1987 from field soil in South Bohemia, Czech Republic. Molecular phylogenetic analyses based on SSU rDNA and the plastid <i>rbc</i>L gene revealed that the strain CCALA 307 formed a distinct sister lineage to <i>Neocystis</i> and <i>Prasiola</i> clades within the Trebouxiophyceae. We describe this strain as a new genus and species, <i>Lunachloris lukesovae</i>. Multiple conserved nucleotide positions identified in the secondary structures of the highly variable ITS2 rDNA barcoding marker provide further evidence of the phylogenetic position of <i>Lunachloris</i>. Minute vegetative cells of this newly recognized species are spherical or ellipsoid, with a single parietal chloroplast without a pyrenoid. Asexually, it reproduces by the formation of 2–6 autospores. Since the majority of recent attention has been paid to algae from the tropics or extreme habitats, the biodiversity of terrestrial microalgae in temperate regions is still notably unexplored and even a ‘common’ habitat like agricultural soil can contain new, as yet unknown species. Moreover, this study emphasizes the importance of culture collections of microorganisms even in the era of culture-independent biodiversity research, because they may harbour novel and undescribed organisms as well as preserving strains for future studies.</p

Olisthodiscus represents a new class of Ochrophyta

The phylogenetic diversity of Ochrophyta, a diverse and ecologically important radiation of algae, is still incompletely understood even at the level of the principal lineages. One taxon that has eluded simple classification is the marine flagellate genus Olisthodiscus. We investigated Olisthodiscus luteus K-0444 and documented its morphological and genetic differences from the NIES-15 strain, which we described as Olisthodiscus tomasii sp. nov. Phylogenetic analyses of combined 18S and 28S rRNA sequences confirmed that Olisthodiscus constitutes a separate, deep, ochrophyte lineage, but its position could not be resolved. To overcome this problem, we sequenced the plastid genome of O. luteus K-0444 and used the new data in multigene phylogenetic analyses, which suggested that Olisthodiscus is a sister lineage of the class Pinguiophyceae within a broader clade additionally including Chrysophyceae, Synchromophyceae, and Eustigmatophyceae. Surprisingly, the Olisthodiscus plastid genome contained three genes, ycf80, cysT, and cysW, inherited from the rhodophyte ancestor of the ochrophyte plastid yet lost from all other ochrophyte groups studied so far. Combined with nuclear genes for CysA and Sbp proteins, Olisthodiscus is the only known ochrophyte possessing a plastidial sulfate transporter SulT. In addition, the finding of a cemA gene in the Olisthodiscus plastid genome and an updated phylogenetic analysis ruled out the previously proposed hypothesis invoking horizontal cemA transfer from a green algal plastid into Synurales. Altogether, Olisthodiscus clearly represents a novel phylogenetically distinct ochrophyte lineage, which we have proposed as a new class, Olisthodiscophyceae

A single cryptomonad cell harbors a complex community of organelles, bacteria, a phage, and selfish elements

Symbiosis between prokaryotes and microbial eukaryotes (protists) has broadly impacted both evolution and ecology. Endosymbiosis led to mitochondria and plastids, the latter spreading across the tree of eukaryotes by subsequent rounds of endosymbiosis. Present-day endosymbionts in protists remain both common and diverse, although what function they serve is often unknown. Here, we describe a highly complex community of endosymbionts and a bacteriophage (phage) within a single cryptomonad cell. Cryptomonads are a model for organelle evolution because their secondary plastid retains a relict endosymbiont nucleus, but only one previously unidentified Cryptomonas strain (SAG 25.80) is known to harbor bacterial endosymbionts. We carried out electron microscopy and FISH imaging as well as genomic sequencing on Cryptomonas SAG 25.80, which revealed a stable, complex community even after over 50 years in continuous cultivation. We identified the host strain as Cryptomonas gyropyrenoidosa, and sequenced genomes from its mitochondria, plastid, and nucleomorph (and partially its nucleus), as well as two symbionts, Megaira polyxenophila and Grellia numerosa, and one phage (MAnkyphage) infecting M. polyxenophila. Comparing closely related endosymbionts from other hosts revealed similar metabolic and genomic features, with the exception of abundant transposons and genome plasticity in M. polyxenophila from Cryptomonas. We found an abundance of eukaryote-interacting genes as well as many toxin-antitoxin systems, including in the MAnkyphage genome that also encodes several eukaryotic-like proteins. Overall, the Cryptomonas cell is an endosymbiotic conglomeration with seven distinct evolving genomes that all show evidence of inter-lineage conflict but nevertheless remain stable, even after more than 4,000 generations in culture

A new lineage of non-photosynthetic green algae with extreme organellar genomes

Background The plastid genomes of the green algal order Chlamydomonadales tend to expand their non-coding regions, but this phenomenon is poorly understood. Here we shed new light on organellar genome evolution in Chlamydomonadales by studying a previously unknown non-photosynthetic lineage. We established cultures of two new Polytoma-like flagellates, defined their basic characteristics and phylogenetic position, and obtained complete organellar genome sequences and a transcriptome assembly for one of them. Results We discovered a novel deeply diverged chlamydomonadalean lineage that has no close photosynthetic relatives and represents an independent case of photosynthesis loss. To accommodate these organisms, we establish the new genus Leontynka, with two species (L. pallida and L. elongata) distinguishable through both their morphological and molecular characteristics. Notable features of the colourless plastid of L. pallida deduced from the plastid genome (plastome) sequence and transcriptome assembly include the retention of ATP synthase, thylakoid-associated proteins, the carotenoid biosynthesis pathway, and a plastoquinone-based electron transport chain, the latter two modules having an obvious functional link to the eyespot present in Leontynka. Most strikingly, the ~362 kbp plastome of L. pallida is by far the largest among the non-photosynthetic eukaryotes investigated to date due to an extreme proliferation of sequence repeats. These repeats are also present in coding sequences, with one repeat type found in the exons of 11 out of 34 protein-coding genes, with up to 36 copies per gene, thus affecting the encoded proteins. The mitochondrial genome of L. pallida is likewise exceptionally large, with its >104 kbp surpassed only by the mitogenome of Haematococcus lacustris among all members of Chlamydomonadales hitherto studied. It is also bloated with repeats, though entirely different from those in the L. pallida plastome, which contrasts with the situation in H. lacustris where both the organellar genomes have accumulated related repeats. Furthermore, the L. pallida mitogenome exhibits an extremely high GC content in both coding and non-coding regions and, strikingly, a high number of predicted G-quadruplexes. Conclusions With its unprecedented combination of plastid and mitochondrial genome characteristics, Leontynka pushes the frontiers of organellar genome diversity and is an interesting model for studying organellar genome evolution.Science, Faculty ofNon UBCBotany, Department ofReviewedFacultyResearche