The Beckoning Cat: A Collaborative Event Between Cats and Humans

The Beckoning Cat: A Collaborative Event Between Cats and Humans
Melanie Lowe

June 16-17, 2012
The industREALarts Room
688 Richmond Street West (at Richmond and Tecumseth)
Gallery Hours: 11 am - 6 pm

The Beckoning Cat is a participatory, ephemeral art installation, taking place over one weekend. It is a collaborative effort by cats and humans towards a common goal: to find loving, adoptive homes where each cat connects with their new family.

What can we learn from co-existing with other species? How can a life lived with animal companions alter our perspective and interactions in contemporary life? This event considers these questions and seeks to create an open space where visitors may interact with cats and kittens through play and touch. Such encounters carry the potential for deep connections between non-human ‘others’ and us, existing together in the present moment.

The Beckoning Cat is art as activism, at the same time sincere and absurd, with a motive somewhere between a cat lady’s dream and an unconventional way to engage the public. This effort intertwines the precarious lives of the cats with the humans who inhabit the same city, facilitating an experiential connection beyond the walls of the animal shelter.

This event makes reference to those artists who have worked with animals throughout their practice and the influence these works have had on contemporary art, most notably, FASTWÜRMS, Brian Jungen and Joseph Beuys. The Beckoning Cat also alludes to the practice of volunteers who work tirelessly to care for stray cats. Dedicated spaces known as Cat Cafés have emerged in recent years, where people without animal companions can visit and interact with cats while having a coffee. Some cats in the cafés are available for adoption.

For the duration of the event, volunteers working in animal rescue will be present to oversee the adoption process of cats and kittens.

And, this event will be streamed live over the internet because we need more cats in cyberspace.

Melanie Lowe is a Toronto-based artist and arts administrator originally from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Lowe received a Bachelor of Design in Communication Design from NSCAD University in 2001 and completed her MFA in Visual Art at York University in 2009. She has exhibited works in Toronto, Montréal and Halifax, including the Dalhousie Art Gallery, Doris McCarthy Gallery and InterAccess. Through video projection and the organization of ephemeral, participatory events, Lowe seeks to highlight how we relate to other living creatures in contemporary life.

Facebook Event: facebook.com/events/246363522139941/
All inquiries, please contact Melanie Lowe: mediamel@gmail.com
To view previous works, please visit: melanielowe.tumblr.com