Kitty City
Organized by Flux Factory + Friends
May 1 - June 1, 2013
Flux Factory / Long Island City, Queens
Kitty City is an inter-generational experiment in collaboration and pedagogy, designed to encourage shared decision-making power and challenge the way we think about the urban environment. During four workshops in May, we designed buildings, thoroughfares, and other urban elements to meet strict zoning standards for living the good life. We planned parks; devised water, transportation, and sanitation systems; mapped out housing options, commercial and cultural districts; and made sure there was plenty of fresh and healthy food. After our shared vision was approved by committees and review boards, we built Kitty City in the Flux Gallery, entirely out of reused materials.
On June 1, 2013, Kitty City was inaugurated during a festive ribbon cutting ceremony involving 24 cats, 18 school-aged kids who helped build the city, and hundreds of visitors lined up to interact with the inhabitants. Kittens explored the thriving “meowtropolis” made entirely out of salvaged materials, finding places to leap, stretch, slumber and just be adorable in peace.
During the day-long celebration, fourteen kitties found forever homes, and another one found foster parents—thanks to the Queens-based no kill animal rescue organization, For Animals. New owners took an oath to uphold the values of Kitty City (administered by Kitty Citizen, Moira Williams during an hourly ceremony), in which they raised their paws, blinked their eyes, and rubbed noses with their new family member while reading the manifesto. Visitors were also able to learn about improving the quality of life for free-roaming cats from Neighborhood Cats, who provided information about the Trap-Neuter-Return method.
Participating humans: Elizabeth Hamby, Douglas Paulson, James Wang, Leah Wolff, James Rojas, Deborah Helaine Morris, Jennifer Hsu, Moira Williams, Sofy Yuditskaya, Christina Vassallo + neighborhood kids
