Maddox Arts

From faux tastes to chemical copies — Science Gallery Dublin examines authenticity with FAKE From fake meat to fake emotions, if faking it gets the job done, who cares? In both the natural world and human society, faking, mimicking and copying can be a reliable strategy for success. When the focus is on how things appear, a fake may be just as valuable as the real thing. But what about replicating taste, emotions, chemical signatures, facts and trademarks? Have patents, politics, and art given copying a bad name? From biomimicry to forged documents, from scandals to substitutes, FAKE, the new free exhibition at Science Gallery at Trinity College Dublin, asks when authenticity is essential, when copying is cool, and what the boundary is between a fakery faux-pas and a really fantastic FAKE. The exhibition will run until 3rd June. Speaking ahead of the exhibition’s launch, Lynn Scarff, Director at Science Gallery Dublin, said:​ “Our interest in FAKE extends beyond ‘fake news’ and ‘alternative facts’. At its core, this exhibition probes our society’s flexibility with fact and fiction. What we have found is that context, culture and technology can determine whether something is a tall tale, a white lie, or a travesty, and this evolving contextualisation of fakery is impacting all realms of society and culture, from journalism and politics to art and science.”