Costis Velonis

b. 1968, Greece

Cats, as our close domestic companions, may well teach us something about ourselves. What are the particular characteristics that make cats so different from us in comparison with dogs? Some people dislike cats because of their strong independent behaviour. But why shouldn’t we generously reward that independence by presenting the cat with something that respects this independence? Generosity in this case just means to simply offer something to the cat that takes into account its independence. Pet design items express the love and generosity of the owners towards their pets.

I have designed a model for a shelter for cats. It consists of a large wooden plate that looks like a country house veranda, which can be reached by a staircase. This nearly utopian model for a better life for a cat is designed in an ascetic and minimal way that guarantees a secure place for the cat’s world of dreams and contemplations. This pet habitat is adjustable to any height, and thus to any type of tree.

I am interested in exploring the fragile line between necessity and luxury that characterises contemporary western societies. This particular project focuses on a possible sculptural dimension of generosity and its connotations of domesticity, craft and care.

(Text: give(a)way catalogue, 2006)