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In Amsterdam, if you see a human-sized 'flea' scampering across the street it's not always cause to call the health department. Chances are it's just Pinky Keijser or Lennert Vader, of the wacky costume performance art duo NEPCO. The 'Human Flea' was just one of the off-the-wall creations of these artistic (and romantic) partners. NEPCO are credited with sporting self-made 'animal' costumes and performing in them on the streets and in clubs in their native Holland, as well as in hotspots in Miami and New York. The name NEPCO is derived from the Dutch word 'NEP' for 'fake,' and it does touch on the irony at the center of their quirky work--a fascination with science and nature, coupled with an imaginative reverence for the fake and funky. One of their first projects, 'Synchronized Amoeba Swimming' found the duo clad in amoeba suits interacting in that special way unique to unicellular protozoa. "The amoebae look really beautiful and we like that they communicate with lights," muses Vader. But NEPCO would never limit themselves to unicellular organisms. They have dressed and performed as everything from poodles, whippets and worms to mutated amphibians, salmon and sharks. Each time, their research leads them to zoological book plates, and zoos where they observe animal behavior. Though NEPCO have fallen prey to their share of animal magnetism, the duo has also explored projects in the human realm. At one point Vader cruised the party circuit as a headless man. This was motivated by a newspaper article that he read about the first living cloned headless frog, opening up the possibility for scientists to grow organs through a headless man.
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