Catmasutra - Non-Collectibles muvee

Another catmasutra muvee from the non-collectibles exhibition. I was using some of the digital art styles for this one, which I think is quite experimental. You can really manipulate the software by layering one style after another and then combining them into one. The music sound track is from Concave Scream, whom I think is a really cool band. The other exceptional local band is The Observatory and you can get their latest album, A far Cry from Here at their website. I did a couple of muvees using tracks from these two bands set to my photos of streets cats as well as Brian Ho's black and white vision of Singapore streets in the wee hours of the morning. Not sure why now, but I'm suddenly feeling motivated to put these clips onto the web... haha! Maybe it was an overdose of cat fur or something, but I guess I can look back and appreciate what I did more! Also, I think the theme is an important one. We're so concerned about progressing, earning more, building more, that we have a tendency to deem everything else as invisible or non-collectibles.

“People are always shouting they want to create a better future. It's not true. The future is an apathetic void of no interest to anyone. The past is full of life, eager to irritate us, provoke and insult us, tempt us to destroy or repaint it. The only reason people want to be masters of the future is to change the past.” - Milan Kundera

;)

Cats of the World

Three of my photos from the non-collectibles show are now on the walls of the 'Cats of the World' Exhibition, 1-15 August at The Moomba @ Level 2, 52A Circular Road. The exhibition aims to spread the message about the joys of our feline friends and that cats all over the world are the same - lovable and purrrrfect!

"Hutch" slacking while his partner Starsky is out galavanting. This is at the food mall at Bestway Building in the Central Business District Area. I have entire collections of these two cats, and they are one of my favs.

These are the new kids on the block (then anyway when this photo was taken). They appeared out of the blue one day and seems to be from the same litter. There was some upgrading work being done on the site (Hougang 24 Hour kopitiam), so the area was sealed up except for a little opening. That's their gateway to a haven (during the night) as they got total privacy!


This old fella is one of my favs as well. Very calm and confident with people. Obviously the resident cat at the food place (good teochew porridge) around Kovan. "Worldly wisdom" is written all over those eyes! A true catmasutra cat! The above three photos are for sale and all proceeds will go the Cat Welfare Society...

"Cats add a lot of character to their environment," said Dawn Kua, Director of Operations at CWS. "They are neglected and abandoned here in Singapore."

They really shouldn't be. CWS has been trying hard to take care of these strays and one of the many problems they face are people who see the cats as pests! If we do not have compassion for these strays, at least, don't deny them from people who have...

One of the clips from the Non-collectibles exhibition, with special thanks to Concave Scream for their music...

Non-Collectibles

Some photos from a collective exhibition I did last year - Non-collectibles. For my part, I showcased the photos I've taken of stray cats in Singapore for the last few years (You can view the collection here) Also i wanted to bring out the beauty in these cats. There were several horrific incidents of cat abuse that were reported in the papers then. Makes you wonder the kind of world we live in. At the same time, you see people working so hard to take care of these cats (eg, Cat welfare society).
The AVA sucks. That's my opinion. Can't see any heart in their actions. Once I have to bail a cat (already neutered) caught by the AVA (because some fellow complained that the cats MIGHT scratch his/her BMW). I have to pay (was it a $100?) for its weekend stay (in a cage with uncleared urine and pieces of food lying around). It was really sad to find such a affectionate cat in such a state. I have been feeding him and have come to know the cat quite well. When i took him away in my car, he stopped meowing and seemed contented to hear my voice. It was a good feeling when I set him free. I returned to look for him but I was unable to find him. I hope he does well in his new neighborhood.
Why do people abuse animals? Kellert and Felthous (1895, 1122-1124) identified nine typologies for animal abuse. 1. to control an animal. 2. to retaliate against an animal. 3. to retaliate against another person 4. to satisfy a prejudice against a species or breed 5. to express anger through an animal 6. to enhance one's own aggressiveness 7. to shock people for amusement 8. to displace hostility from a person to an animal 9. to perform non-specific sadism... Sometimes I'm saddened by children (even adults) who squirmed and screamed at the sight of stray cats. I don't think we have a choice if we ever witness animal abuse - keeping silent is not an option.