First it was diamonds made from pet DNA. Then 3-D paintings fashioned from pet remains. And now, one company is offering to display your pet's DNA in the form of modern art.
It all started when Nazim Ahmed, a salesman for a biotech firm, offered to show pal Adrian Salamunovic what his DNA looked like on paper. After taking a quick cheek swab, several weeks later Ahmed brought him the image -- and an idea was born. "We both thought, 'This is pretty cool,' " Salamunovic tells PEOPLE Pets. "To me, the DNA on paper looked like modern art."
The inspired pair then created the company DNA 11 (representing the two spiraling strands of DNA) as friends and family members began requesting portraits of their DNA. But an unlikely client base began forming. "People started coming to us asking for portraits of their pet's DNA, which we never expected," says Salamunovic, a former web consultant. "We've done so many now: dogs, cats, horses and even a Bengal tiger." And despite only beginning to advertise pet portraits recently -- "That's my dog Bosley on the site!" Salamunovic gushes -- they've been a huge portion of DNA 11's business since its inception in 2005.
The process is fairly simple: Customers choose a size and color for their print online (prices run from $199 for a desktop portrait to $950 for a 3-ft.-by-5-ft. piece). A CSI-style kit is sent to the customer's home, which is used to collect the pet's DNA via cheek swab, and then sent back. Five weeks later, the art arrives. "It's nice because it's such a conversational piece, and it's not narcissistic," says Salamunovic. "People in your home see it, ask what it is, and think it's cool."
What do you think of DNA portraits? Leave your thoughts below!
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