Photo: Bitforms Gallery NYC Steampunk torture device? Delicate spacecraft? Nope. The Urbanus Female (pictured here in its larval state) is a rare nocturnal creature that glides high above cities, sometimes alighting on skyscrapers. Along with its male companion, the Urbanus is part of a mechanical menagerie created by Korean artist U-Ram Choe. The sculptures are made of thousands of stainless steel, aluminum, and acrylic "bones," to which Choe adds brains and muscles — CPUs and motors that bring the undulating organisms to life. The Urbanus couple, along with helpful diagrams and taxonomic descriptions — did you know the females convert urban energy into photons that they shoot out of their genitals to feed hovering males? — will be featured in the 2008 Asian Triennale in Manchester, UK, next spring. Genital photon feedings six times an hour.
Urbanus Female For more, visit wired.com/video. Play Previous: Electronica Duo Daft Punk Directs a Not-So-Silent Film Next: Holy @&%*! Author Steven Pinker Thinks We're Hardwired to Curse.
