The KOTY(j) project is a workshop for design students from two Poznań universities - the University of Arts and the Poznań University of Technology. The participants' task is to design and independently construct houses for free-living cats in three Poznań housing estates. Tutors for this year's edition are GAB studio, Atelier Starzak Strebicki and JEJU studio.
The goal of the workshop, in addition to creating the houses, is to try to engage local communities to work together for the benefit of free-living cats. The task set for the 24 participants, divided into 3 groups, is to design and independently make houses for animals residing within three Poznań housing estates. Some housing cooperatives, in an attempt to help cats, are equipped with factory-built shelters, whose appearance and safety requirements often leave much to be desired. The answer to this problem is a workshop, during which aesthetically pleasing objects will be created to fit in with the landscape of the housing estates. Students will be supervised by Poznan design studios - GAB studio, Atelier Starzak Strebicki and JEJU studio.
a house from the previous edition of the workshop
Photo: Dawid Majewski © organizers archive
According to the organizers:
Free-livingcats are a permanent and legally protectedelement of the urban ecosystem. According to the law, they are a national asset and should be provided with conditions for their development and free existence. Free-living cats are not stray animals, therefore, they must not be caught, removed, or impeded from living in a particular location. Currently, in the housing estates selected for the project, the role of houses for free-living cats is played by old racks or tape-wrapped cardboard boxes - due to their unsightly appearance, some residents have called for either their replacement or removal. Settlement administrations by law do not have the ability to remove these houses or catch the cats, which leads to a lot of social tension [...]. Hence the strong need for the implementation of workshops, which will result in designs of constructions that are functional and safe for these animals, which at the same time will aesthetically fit into the landscape of the settlements selected for the project.
how to build a cat house
© organizers archive
workshop calendar
Participation in the workshop is free of charge. The classes are intended for design students from the University of Arts in Poznań and Poznań University of Technology.
The application form and more information are available on the project website.
- enrollment: until October 6 this year at 18.00,
- workshops: 14 to 23 October this year.
- place: Poznań
Read about the previous edition and its results here.
