Gregory P. Garvey's humorous web project, entitled Genderbender, is loosely based on the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI) developed in 1974. This interactive website includes a self-administered questionnaire with scales to measure masculinity and femininity, parallel to the form of the BSRI. Garvey comments on the applications of technology, in conjunction with psychology, that ultimately may limit our concept of humanity," When personality traits become reduced to and locked in algorithmic descriptions, those chosen traits almost inevitably reflect the biases and cliches of what is considered 'normal.' Moreover the BSRI of 1974 is a kind of time capsule giving insight into how mutable notions of gender really are." Influenced also by Alan Turing's "imitation game," Garvey's work explores the effects of communication technology on our ability to discern gender identity. The artist playfully asserts that "...GENDERBENDER performs a much needed public service by minimizing the cognitive dissonance of gender confusion and subterfuge found in chat groups, MUDS, and MOOS."
GENDERBENDER , 1996, shockwave web animation