Community Spirit

Lasalle College of the Arts product design student Evan Tan’s project turns the spotlight on some of Singapore’s marginalised residents – community cats – and the sense of kinship fostered among their carers.

- Melody Bay

Good design sparks conversation – something LASALLE product design student Evan Tan achieved with his final-year project for an unusual demographic: community cats. His installations – in three distinct designs – aim to make their lives easier.

Act I – Habits of Eating is a corner installation where cats can eat in peace. It has semi-opaque screens at the sides for privacy.

Act II – Habits of Resting provides an elevated sleeping space that’s safe from wet or dirty floors.

Act III – Habits of Curiosity lets them indulge in multisensory play with ropes for scratching and mirrors to look into.

While not yet permanent, these colourful installations have already been welcomed by the cats that have had the chance to check them out. More importantly, the vibrant designs anchor the sense of community spirit that comes with caring for neighbourhood cats and invites others into the conversation.

WHAT INSPIRED THE PROJECT?

During the Covid-19 lockdown, I took in a cat named Blackie. It was a neighbourhood cat that other community feeders and I have been looking after for about 19 years. When the lockdown hit, we realised Blackie was sick, so I took him home and had him for about a month. Towards the end of the month, his health began to deteriorate rapidly, and we had talked about putting him down to end his suffering.