The Human mind and the human world of emotion are still a huge mystery. For instance, it is still ambiguous which mechanism is responsible for perceiving various animals differently and which aspect of their appearance provokes a certain emotional reaction.
It cannot be denied that kittens and puppies usually get characterized by humans as cute and cuddly whereas snakes or toads generally are classified as disgusting and intimidating. What happens when one plays god, respectively slips into the role of Dr. Moreau and “tinkers” with the aid of Photoshop creatures which are not dictate of nature? How would we respond to pictures like these? It appears that this very question prompted Sarah deRemer, who works as photograph and retoucher, to come up with the idea of running an experiment in the shape of the photo-series hybrid animals ;)l
Animals which have been cute before their “crossbreed”, stay like that afterwards. Those animals transmitting a friable feeling are becoming more and more terrifying. I can feel a shiver running down my spine at the mere sight of the spider- and tapir-shark :).
Those of you who just cannot get enough of pictures like these, should have a look at Frederik Ödmans Composed Animals.