What is PlantBot Genetics

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PlantBot Genetics is a parody company that satirically looks at the possible evolution of plant species due to the consequences of modern agricultural practices. This project is a collaboration between Wendy DesChene and Jeff Schmuki. 

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Genetically modified food technology is so new and untested that we have no idea what long tern effects it will have on those who consume it, the lands on which it is grown, what wide-ranging environmental impact that can occur. 
 

Monsantra our companies most widely distributed product is named after the Monsanto Corporation which is on of  the largest suppliers and producers of genetically modified seed in the world. Like a B-movie Godzilla, Monsantra is a hybrid of imagination possibility and reality.

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We can only guess what will happen to the food supply with subsequent generations of GMO's? Using seeds form the Monsanto Corporation and other suppliers plants are grafted onto robotic  or remote controlled bases to become an organism with no clear heritage and no clear future. The poetic GMO plant robot hybrid hybrids beg the question, what will it all become?





Why Street Tactics and Interventions?

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As consumers we no longer know the real price of our food. Our food distribution systems are so muddled and complex that it is unrealistic to ask consumers to make responsible choices based on the knowledge at hand. To get people to think about their food, where it comes from and where it may be going we take our remote control, or robotic plants and other projects to the streets or hide them along forests or boardwalks . The goal is to get people to question the food they eat and how it got there in an entertaining and artistic way.  Having an out of gallery art experience is often more memorable and can speak to a much wider audience. Our street tactics bring art and education into a community despite the level of support for healthy food or art culture in that particular location.