Genpets are a
mixed media
In visual art, mixed media describes artwork in which more than one medium or material has been employed.
Assemblages, collages, and sculpture are three common examples of art using different media. Materials used to create mixed media art incl ...
installation
art
Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual ideas.
There is no generally agreed definition of wha ...
piece by artist
Adam Brandejs. It is considered a
''hoax of exposure''.
The project has been shown in multiple galleries in Canada and Europe and has garnered some attention in the mass media.
The creations were
sculpted, automated creatures made of
latex
Latex is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latexes are found in nature, but synthetic latexes are common as well.
In nature, latex is found as a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms ...
and
plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
, and housed
robotic circuitry to simulate slow
respiration
Respiration may refer to:
Biology
* Cellular respiration, the process in which nutrients are converted into useful energy in a cell
** Anaerobic respiration, cellular respiration without oxygen
** Maintenance respiration, the amount of cellula ...
. They looked like small, baldskinned and ugly
humanoids, and were intended to be displayed as living, but
dormant,
bioengineered
Biological engineering or
bioengineering is the application of principles of biology and the tools of engineering to create usable, tangible, economically-viable products. Biological engineering employs knowledge and expertise from a number o ...
creatures for purchase as pets. The fabricated
packaging
Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a co ...
indicated a purchaser had a choice of colors, four different personalities and levels of activity, and that the creatures had a limited vocal capacity. The sculptures and packaging, along with the professional-appearing hoax website, are so realistic that observers are often fooled.
In 2006, Genpets were featured on the
weblog
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
for
The Museum of Hoaxes in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
. as well as broadcast on BBC News Worldwide on a BBC programme called ''Click'' as well as the ''Times'' (UK), the ''New York Times'' and G4TechTV.
All the work was hand done by the artist Adam Brandejs, with assistance from makeup artist Crystal Pallister for the coloring of the creatures. The pictures show the actual 19 genpet units that display at art galleries. Genpets have been displayed at multiple Fine Art galleries and museum displays in both North America and Europe.
References
{{reflist
External links
Genpets official website (hoax)Genpets explanation site by artistGenpets creator website
Hoaxes in science