Opening this week at SudsSpace at SOMA, San Francisco’s only art gallery and laundromat: “The Square Root of Unconsciousness,” an installation by renowned performance artist Zamboni McHitler. In the piece, which runs 14 non-consecutive hours, McHitler offers a variety of fruit to a panel of sedated cats, who then watch as the artist performs the USA PATRIOT Act via interpretive dance.
Well, it’s still better than the Thomas Kinkade retrospective, Jackal C.
ANYTHING is better than the Thomas Kinkade retrospective.
I couldn’t agree more.
My reaction too. Hope his bankruptcy hearings/lawsuits are at least this interesting.
The guy from Partridge Family is going bankrupt??
Good one!!
Total milk-through-nose-via-sinuses moment re: Kinkade retrospective: awesome-o.
Also very happy no newfers have attacked . . . yet . . .
Hahahahah! This is probably the most awesome cat-based thing I have ever seen!
Also, “SOMA?” … I think that’s what these cats probably took.
*bows humbly*
Anyone who can train four kittehs to stay that still for any period of time deserves a monument.
They are sedated!!!
Hear, hear! I can’t imagine either of our cats tolerating that…
No kidding!
My cat rankings:
1) Shiro and Maru
3) Winston
…
4) All other cats.
Shiro is ever the Zen Mastah! (or fast asleep . . .)
Woah McHitler, what a name
very provocative, no? the statement is not lost on this critic.
There was a time when mentioning that name, even with a “Mc” in front of it, would raise the hackles of the great Theo
I totally agree. McHitler not cute or funny at ALL.
did you forget the
IMHOtag?Isn’t that the Suite No.1 in A Cat Minor, by John Cage? It sounds really familiar.
OK, NTMTOM, just how the heck does one perform the PATRIOT Act without Seals? Hmmmm?
Shiro & Friends! Does anyone know the other cats’ names?
The tabby is Chatora, and the B&Ws are apparently collectively called Chibi.
Clockwork Orange.
You actually remember that movie?
Personally I find McHitler’s works too representative of the human gaze to fully express the ennui of a modern cat.
Hmmm…this seems strange…hope they’re not doing anything inhumane to the cats to make them do this.. How is this possible?
What a nice accusation for you to make towards the owners of these cats…
Both of you need to chill. Itsy: modifying animal behaviour (yes, even cat behaviour) does not necessarily involve inhumane methods. I think we can all agree that these cats do not look stressed or afraid. Mick: I don’t think anyone’s accusing anyone of anything here.
You’re right, they don’t look afraid. It’s just that I’ve never seen any cats as calm as these. My old cat used to let me put little funny objects on him too, (although they were lighter than fruits) but these seem so VERY calm, and that’s fine:)Not even my cat was this patient!:)
Oh, and you don’t know that there wasn’t…
I’m betting that’s a heated pad.
The Cats are Sedated… that means they were given drugs to make them calm.
Didn’t John Lennon meet Yoko Ono at an event like this?
This work seems like it was somehow influenced by her work, ‘Grapefruit.’
Oh no, what did I say? Citrus fruit is frowned upon in this establishment?
i believe you’re right, t! (feel better?
)
PS NTMTOM: Ho hum, awesomeness as usual.
Finally, after years of planning, his plans for a cat quartet bore fruit.
[obligatory GROAN]
Methinks somebody has got just a wee bit ‘o time on their hands.
Personally, I can’t wait until the carefree days where I finally have time to balance fruit on my pets and put up tons of youtube vids.
Amen to that!
EVERYBODY who visits CO has a little time on their hands – normally stolen from the time we’re supposed to be doing something else…. like workin’ fer the man…..
Somehow, some way, the Japanese are behind this!
Actually yes they are, and I was wondering about Shiro and his family, apparently they’re all safe and sound following the tragedies in Japan.
Hey, isn’t that orange and white one on the end the one that all those different veggies were balanced on a while back?
Is Shiro-chan ever awake in any of his videos?
He was in that one just recently where his royal crown/bowl blew off in the wind…
Barely, like 10% awake. He must always be in dreamland.
The crown-blowing-off vid was the first one in which Shiro’s eyes were open. I was beginning to wonder if he had any.
hahaha! Awesomeness. I have some extremely mellow cats at my mom’s…I can think of about five right off…I wonder if I can balance fruits on them…probably. If a tummy rub is given after.
Should I be worried that only one (or two?) other people thought the “McHitler” name inappropriate? I’m not going for a political correctness overload, but seriously, couldn’t you have picked a different name?
I assume you are one of the many who do not find the website “Kitlers” amusing. It is a website devoted to cats who look like Hitler. Many people do find it amusing however, and do not take its existence as insensitivity to the victims of the real monster Hitler.
deb is right. NOMTOM was making a reference to the “cats that look like Hitler” website, which has been discussed on CO for years and years. if you’re new to CO and didn’t get it, then you might be shocked by the “randomness” of the name, but it was a pointed and specific and, shall i say funny reference, given the appearance of the cat on the right especially. so check out the website, people. comparing a historical figure so horrific to the fur patterns on innocent cats for me is a way to reduce his power over us, 70 years after the fact, and is funny to A LOT of people, even if it’s not to you.
peace…
I agree. Pick a different name, it’s not funny, and yeah offensive. It kinda shocked me you would use it and I’m really hard to shock. I get it, performance artist with crazy name, but seriously, pick a different one.
I don’t like that name either.
Um, ever seen “The Producers” in any form?
Yes. I loved the Producers. I laughed at the Producers. But this one ham-fisted, clumsy, crappy joke is not the Producers. The Producers was a whole film that provided context for the joke. The problem with this joke is there’s no context for its appearance. It’s like a sudden spot of poo on a dinner plate: jarring and unappetizing. And clumsy. The work of an inexperienced writer who maybe watches too much Family Guy.
I love how defenders of this name are like “Have you ever laughed before? Maybe your sense of humor is broken?”
“Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself”
– Albus Dumbledore
I was about to say that I love the moustacheless Kitler on the right (when s/he turns their head around, it looks like the Monster’s side parting). I grew up near the local docks, which had been mercilessly bombed during WWII, all the foundations of our houses were wrecked and rats came up out of the damaged sewers while we played in the street. I’ve also visited Auschwitz, which was the most moving human experience in my life. I visit the Kitler site often. To me, it’s a form of sticking two fingers up to the Nazis.
Yes!
“…renowned performance artist Zamboni McHitler.”
Win.
It’s PURR-formance art!
OMG, Shiro-chan meows! http://youtu.be/pvc3w14BfCg
Nice!
cats #1 & #3: great, it’s the orange thing again. Maybe if we pretend to be asleep, he’ll leave us alone.
cats#2 & #4: GREAT! It’s the orange thing again! Perhaps treats will be forthcoming…
One of the most amusing things I’ve seen in a long time!
And….
Zamboni “McHitler”…??? Really???
“marilyn manson” was taken.
I don’t understand it. But I like it.
You just have to let great art wash over you.
shiro doesn’t expect you fascists to understand his art…
I like how Fatboy on the left can’t be bothered to even twitch.
Where are the eyes on the 3rd cat from the left (or 2nd cat from the right)??
They are following you. That’s how you know it’s good art.
No matter how engaging Mrs. McFlenderson tried to make her lesson plans, she couldn’t seem to prevent Floyd from honk-shuing in class.
They look as sedated as my cats after they’ve had their dinners.
Yeah, sorry not into the name. Really doesn’t work. By pretending to be offensive you became offensive.
Two of those cats are stuffed.
LOL! The Japanese once again beat everybody in weirdness!
I hope they’re just in very mellow moods, and not actually sedated. Drugging an animal for the sake of art would be disturbing and cruel.
The story says, “McHitler offers a variety of fruit to a panel of sedated cats”… and I agree with you.
the “McHitler” and “variety” should have tipped you off: it’s all made up. our writers are THAT GOOD.
Odd name considering the fact that Hitler hated cats! I always mention that fact to people who tell me they hate cats!!!
Orange you glad you watched this video?
The sedation of animals for the sake of “performance art” is disturbing for many reasons, not the least of which is that sedation (especially of geriatic cats, as the cat on the far left obviously is) is not without risks.
I come to cuteoverload.com to see CUTE things, not links such as this one. Please use better judgment in the future. Thank you.
the comment about sedation was made in jest. it was surrounded by fictitiousness and jestiness. the mystery of the snoozy cats remains unsolved. i even looked for references, but i don’t read japanese!
Please, Shiro is only 9.
I love how the one on the far left has his (her?) eyes closed the whole time. funny
Orange they the cutest things evah?
Hey… Isn’t that the tomahto cat?
http://cuteoverload.com/2010/01/18/know-your-obscure-folklore/
That was utterly awesome
So let me get this straight all of you animal lovers… you think it is cute that these cats have been sedated and are being used as an artistic expression. This isn’t their natural state they have been drugged. I don’t know about you all but this is not cute to me. I am all for cuddly kittens and cats doing silly things. But i am not for the use of animals in this manner, for “art”.
sheesh. they are NOT drugged. every single line of the text is a joke.