German artists Von Bismarck and Julian Charrière and their crew built the fake formations in Mexico. Once the rock formations were built, they rigged them with explosives, so they could be blown up on camera. The videos were posted online and quickly went viral around the world.
“We didn't really expect that TV is going to pick up on it, and even the authorities,” von Bismarck said. “That was not our goal.”
The Department of Natural Resources and authorities researched the videos trying to determine if they were real rock formation in Utah. Ultimately, they determined they were fake although they were listed as digital fakes.
“I think these discussions are important,” von Bismarck said. “These discussions about, ‘Is the video real or not?’ And, ‘How can we actually see if it’s real or not?’ – is important. I’m not feeling sorry for the discussions, because the discussions have to happen.”
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