Autumn Issue, 2021
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The Journal of Matters Relating to Felines is a society producing a magazine, affiliated with the University of Aberdeen. It is composed by students from different degrees, with diverse interests and opinions. Cats are the ribbon tying it all together. It features written pieces of various genres. From professional articles to short stories, our writers have the freedom to express themselves through any shape or form.
Table of Contents
Page 1 -Introductory page
Pages 2-3 -The (Mis)Fortune of Black Cats by Rosie Guy: After encountering a black cat, we discover whether the following (un)fortunate situation is indeed due to the sighting of the ambiguous black cat, or simply a splash of life.
Pages 3-6 -The King’s Enemies by Thea Mainprize: A brief introduction to the weird and wonderful hyenas, with an emphasis on their evolutionary history and relationships. This article also examines the ranges, fascinatingly unique behaviours and conservation issues for each species in an attempt to combat the negative depiction hyenas often face.
Pages 7-8 -Cat Colours by Giulia Pipolo: Why are tortoise cats always females and why do some cats have beautiful multi-coloured eyes? The biological science behind these things is quite easily explained for anyone to understand.
Pages 8-10 -The End of the Line by Luke Litvinov: A discussion of COVID vaccine mandates, seen from the eyes of the sceptic.
Page 11 -Communist Cats by Fi Hennicken: Not just cats occupy spaces they’re not supposed to be in. This article highlights the connection between cats, occupying empty houses and anti-capitalist activism.
Page 12 -‘Puss Puss’, ‘Familiar’ and ‘Fallen’ by Willow Daymond: A selection of original poetry focusing on how mysterious cats are and the beauty of nature.
Page 13 -Enemies to Lovers by Cecile Fardoux: Discusses one of the most common tropes found in a variety of medias in popular culture, how to recognize it and some of the most famous examples of it.
Pages 14-16 -The Cannes International Film Festival by Déborah Lazreug: A history and celebration of the Cannes international film festival as a concept and experience, from its anti-fascist birth in 1946 to its postpandemic edition in summer 2021. In bonus, you will find little critics of this year’s selection, including for Wes Anderson’s awaited The French Dispatch and Julia Ducorneau’s scandaleous Titane.
Page 17 -Imago by Déborah Lazreug: the Latin word for ‘image’, a recurrent column analysing paintings, photographs, sculptures or movie stills depicting cats. In Latin, the word ‘imago’ was used for anything froze in representation, from artistic representations to ghosts and memories of one’s head. For this autumnal issue, we will look at the Cat figure in the animated version of the dark children’s novel, Coraline and a painting full of dramatic tension by the Barocco Italian painter Annibale Carracci.
Page 18 -Conclusion
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The (Mis)fortune of Black Cats Myths and superstitions surrounding black cats have been circulating around the world for centuries. In the past, various cultures believed them to be linked to witchcraft and even major historical events, as Franny Syufy of The Spruce Pets blog describes: “roaming nocturnal black cats were thought to be witches in disguise, witches' pets, or animal-shaped demons sent by witches to spy on humans. From the early 13th century in Europe through the 17th-century Salem Witch Trials in Massachusetts, black cats were killed along with those who were considered witches.” Fortunately, in the UK it is often seen to be lucky for a black cat to cross your path, with Scottish folklore signifying them as signs of prosperity, and Welsh with good health. Despite this hint of optimism towards what black cats symbolise, the bouts of bad luck and misadventures that have happened to me since starting university speak otherwise. The black cat appeared on my first day of living in student accommodation, during my first time in the kitchen and making my first cup of tea. My rapid stirring of the teabag gradually grinded to a halt as I surveyed a sleek, black-haired cat prowling out from under a car directly in front of me, its dark fur glittering in the sunlight. For a few moments its piercing eyes stared at me through the glass window, my fingers still clasping the teaspoon in the mug but not stirring. The cat turned its back to me and walked away, planting in my mind a vague ominous feeling, like trying to grasp an almost forgotten memory. Then began the wave of misfortune that would fill my life countless times over the next month. Although most would argue that it was just a coincidence, I like to believe that this cat erupted the excitement and joy that I now feel, pushing my previously boring life to the side-lines by imposing on me multiple scenarios some would call unlucky. The first and most impactful adverse event that this cat caused happened a mere two days after its appearance out of the kitchen window. After meeting a girl (we’ll call her Sky) at a campus tour when I accidentally tripped her up, we decided to get some coffee from one of the many places on campus to choose from. Scouring the unfamiliar area for somewhere to sit and drink our coffee, we stumbled across Cruickshank Botanical
Gardens. Admiring the impressive flora and fauna in the garden, we randomly chose one of the benches dotted amongst the trees and bushes, brushing off the malting orange leaves as we sat down, glad to rest our legs. Then, I watched Sky frown and stand up again, looking back at the bench as if something had stung her. I saw it too; a small, black leather wallet left stranded on the bench. We looked at each other and smirked, instantly flipping the wallet open, we filtered through its contents. In it there was a man’s credit card, ID and money, all in the hands of two clueless teenagers. We were, however, not so naïve as not to quickly decide that we should hand it in to the police, and so I got the directions to the nearest station on my phone. Gulping down our now cold coffee, we set off following the map, yet still feeling like we were walking in circles with every wrong turn. Nearly half an hour later, we blundered upon a small police station tucked away between granite houses and sighed in relief. Dragging our feet past the single police car and closed blinds in the window, we tried the door. It was locked. We tried the call-in service. No one answered. We peeked through the tightly closed blinds. No one was inside. Frustrated and shocked, Sky and I began to regret our act of kindness. Yet, being stuck with this stranger’s wallet and now with no avail in sight, Sky debated whether to hand it in to the main police station in the city centre, whilst I debated chucking the wallet into a bush. Going for the former option, the thrill of taking an innocent trip to the police station had worn off, as had the coffee. Standing and waiting at the bus stop felt like an age. Our legs were even sorer from the unintentional workout, and it was getting late. We were tired and hungry (even more so than usual) and this feeling only increased as we arrived in the city centre twenty minutes later and began our trek to the main police station. My phone battery drained from using maps on my phone, this time we relied on Sky to direct us to the police station and end this journey. After another good twenty minutes of stopping and starting, turning corners and going round bends, we found it. Marked by the navy-blue symbol of the police force on the windows, we knocked on the glass door surrounded by police cars and security cameras.
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Once again, no one answered. Realising this was the staff’s entrance to the station, we groaned our way around the block to the main entrance, fingers crossed as we arrived, finally able to speak to an officer and begin to hand in the cursed wallet. However, the officer at the reception desk said words which made my heart sink: “Unfortunately, we don’t take lost property here, you would have to go to one of our other stations in town… but since they’re not open right now, just this once I’ll take the wallet from you!”
someone in need. This unfortunate situation also cemented mine and Sky’s friendship evermore, yet are still weary around each other, since together, we seem to be a beacon of bad luck!
So, the adventure was over. Stuffed away amongst the great sense of exhaustion and relief at what we’d achieved, I felt pride at the effort we’d gone to help
So, this Halloween, just hope you see one too.
I’ve seen the black cat a few times since, crawling under cars and prancing round corners, and I hope to see it again soon if it means that my otherwise uneventful life is filled, even just for a day, with some perilous adventure and luck.
By Rosie Guy
The King’s Enemies Made famous (or perhaps infamous) in ‘The Lion King’ as the antagonists alongside the dastardly lion Scar, hyenas have often found themselves the victims of both a bad reputation and taxonomic misclassification. With their outwardly canine resemblance, you could certainly be forgiven for thinking that hyenas are just large dogs. While deceptively doglike, hyenas are surprisingly more closely related to our furry feline friends, though they are still distant cousins. But if neither canine nor feline, then what exactly is a hyena? Mammalian carnivores can be split into two different groups: the Caniformia (dog-like) and the Feliformia (cat-like). Caniformia includes animals like dogs, bears, and seals, while Feliformia includes cats, mongooses, and hyenas. Within Feliformia, we find that hyenas have been given their own family, the Hyaenidae. The evolutionary history of hyenas is fascinating in its own right. A relatively recent entrant to the mammals, hyenas first arose around 20 million years ago, splitting off from a civet-like ancestor and then forming two distinct lineages: dog-like and bone-crushing. The dog-like hyenas experienced as rapid an extinction as they did diversification, ironically due to being outcompeted by ancestral canids in the face of a changing climate. The bone-crushers fared somewhat better, adapting to the presence of competitors by carving out a new niche largely as scavengers. Today, the once-flourishing Hyaenidae is one of the smallest mammal groups, represented by just four living species. The chart below, called a cladogram, highlights the evolutionary relationships between today’s hyena species and was constructed using a mitochondrial gene called cytochrome oxidase I. This gene is often used in genetics work because it is generally good at distinguishing different species as it evolves relatively fast compared to other genes. Recent work using complete hyena genomes also agrees with this version of events.
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As you may have inferred from the cladogram underneath, the aardwolf, or Proteles cristata is thought to be the most ancient of the hyena species. Without closer inspection, one might mistake this creature for one of the fox species that shares its African homeland due to its diminutive size and decidedly vulpine features. It is perhaps this that betrays its status as the sole-surviving remnant of the dog-like hyena lineage. Like some canid species, aardwolves have evolved similar social behaviour, living in packs of a single male, female, and their offspring. Their superficial and social similarity with canids is where the association ceases.
While it may be expected that the nocturnal aardwolf would be a voracious predator of small mammals and birds like other carnivores its size, it is in fact a rather strict insectivore. In a single night, aardwolves are said to be able to eat some 250,000 unsuspecting insects. Despite this, they are picky eaters. Though dietary analysis has revealed the occasional snack of arachnids and other arthropods, aardwolves overwhelmingly subsist on certain species of termites which inhabit the grasslands of southern and eastern Africa. This fussiness leads aardwolves to be rather elusive as they must live in low densities to avoid competition for their scarce food sources. Despite general rarity, their conservation status is perhaps the least precarious of all hyenas, and numbers remain stable throughout their range. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the three remaining descendants of the bone-crushing lineage, all of which are suffering from declining populations. The brown hyena (Parahyaena brunnea) is sympatric (i.e. found together) with the aardwolf across much of its range in southern Africa, although the former is adapted to a greater number of habitat types rather than just grasslands, including wetlands, montane, and surprisingly coastal where it may be observed opportunistically feeding on fur seal pups. As its name suggests, it sports a scruffy brown coat. Its sloped top line and very canine facial features almost give it the outline of a German shepherd, if not for the hairs on its back that can be raised at will to scare off would-be aggressors. This is apparently not scary enough to humans however. The brown hyena’s conservation status is currently Near Threatened and its overall population is thought to be the lowest of the four species. Often, this hyena comes into conflict with people due to the belief that they represent a threat to livestock. While this may be true for the other bone-crushers featured later in this article, the brown hyena is a comparatively terrible hunter and almost completely relies on scavenging from carrion or stealing food from other predators (known as kleptoparasitism). Still, studies have found that a large percentage of farmers (some 40% in South Africa, and as great as 72% in Namibia) believe that this species is responsible for livestock kills, in spite of evidence to the contrary. As the cladogram above suggests, the brown hyena is very closely related to the striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena), a species whose range spans not just northern and eastern Africa, but throughout the Middle East and well into central and southern Asia. This makes it the most widespread of all hyenas. The striped hyena has a smaller, yet similar build to that of the brown hyena but its raisable mane is much more impressive, and superficially shows the group’s close relationship to the civet family (see pictures).
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Much like the aardwolf, it has a sandy coloured coat with striking black stripes. While a marginally better hunter than the brown hyena, striped hyenas are also largely scavengers, feeding from the kills of a large variety of predators across their range. While they often yield to large cats, striped hyenas have been reported to not just coexist with but live alongside grey wolves in the Eurasian parts of their range in what appears to be a mutually beneficial association. Like brown hyenas, the striped hyena’s conservation status is also Near Threatened. Interestingly, both species have had low levels of genetic diversity throughout much of their evolutionary history though have surprisingly escaped many of the problems that arise in such a scenario (e.g. poor reproductive output, skeletal and tissue deformities, susceptibility to disease and environmental change). However, with a declining population, the striped hyena may not be able to withstand such pressures much longer. This animal is not just threatened by farmers, but also because of the fear of rabies in some areas, leading to indiscriminate and often indirect poisoning. Additionally, there is a whirl of superstition surrounding the striped hyena. They are associated with death due their main ecological role as scavengers. They are thought of - and despised - among some cultures as grave robbers and witches’ steeds, and in others as devil-touched. Such negative associations have not put off other regions such as Arabia, where they are both considered a Halal delicacy and used in traditional medicine due to the belief that they wield magical powers. This makes them a lucrative catch for hunters. Persecution and recently increased demand for meat and medicine is wholly unsustainable, leaving populations in the Mediterranean areas of the Middle East and North Africa stricken, particularly in Morrocco where it is at severe risk of local extinction. Around the Mediterranean, the striped hyena has a separate conservation status of Vulnerable compared to its global assessment because of these threats. Despite the fear and hated these animals are subject to, attacks on humans are extremely unusual and they have even been described as ‘quite gentle’. Perhaps the best-known hyena, due to its characteristic laughing call is the largest extant species, the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta). Having diverged from the brown and striped hyenas over 10 million years ago, this species became widespread across Eurasia and Africa and has had a long and enduring association with humans throughout our own history. Today, they are confined to Sub-Saharan Africa but remain the most numerous of all hyenids. Owing to their once wide range, their levels of genetic diversity are much higher than that of their cousins. It is known that they extensively interbred with the much larger (and maybe luckily for us, now extinct) European cave hyena, considered a subspecies of today’s spotted hyena. Superficially, these hyenas lack the extensive mane and large, triangular ears of the other species, their coats switching stripes for spots. Their social behaviours and reproductive morphology, however, is unlike anything else seen within mammals and makes them fascinatingly unique. While other bone-crushing hyenas are either solitary or come together in small groups (called clans), spotted hyenas’ social structures are extremely fluid. Clans converge, sometimes in massive numbers, and then diverge into smaller groups over time in what is known as a fission-fusion society. This
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social system has parallels with those of some whale species (e.g. orcas). Both are also heavily matrilineal (led by the females) and comparisons can be drawn between the impressive arrays of communicative noises used by these animals. However, where whale pods are largely cooperative, spotted hyena clans determine rank by conflict and dominance. In this species, females down the hierarchy generally outsize and outrank males. They display other typically male characteristics including increased aggression from birth - which can and does result in the death of littermates. Unlike other hyenas, spotted hyenas are not monogamous and females choose to mate with several males throughout their lifetime. Though there is no obvious pair bonding, females may preferentially mate with males that they have a longstanding association with. Perhaps their most unique trait of all is highly masculinised exterior reproductive morphology (to save you an embarrassing Google search, I can confirm it essentially looks, and functions similarly - it can also make males and females outwardly indistinguishable much to the chagrin of some zoos who thought they had a breeding pair). This makes both mating and births extraordinarily difficult, the latter leading to death in many cases. Both cubs and their mothers may not survive the birthing process. This completely novel female ‘equipment’ is thought to have evolved as a result of dominant females providing high levels of male-associated hormones such as testosterone to their offspring, allowing them to be better competitors from the outset. Due to this, high rank within clans is largely inherited by female offspring. Young males usually leave to join other clans, though sons of top-ranking females may remain and codominate with their mothers. Like the striped hyena, the spotted hyena is sometimes hunted for traditional medicine, though most fatalities arise from accidental trapping in snares placed for game animals. Where they are thought to actively prey on livestock, whole clans can be shot or poisoned. Even in protected areas, if they are considered a threat to species of conservation interest they may be heavily managed through culls. Although widespread and a species classed as Least Concern status, numbers have been trending downwards. It has been established that part of the reason that conservation efforts are somewhat lower for the spotted hyena is that it often evokes negative emotions and is thought of as an ugly, wicked and cowardly animal. This originates from the writings of Aristotle and Pliny the Elder, now perpetuated by media such as The Lion King in western society, and through superstition and folklore across Africa. As such, spotted hyenas are shunned in favour of perhaps more charismatic animals in conservation, and are underrepresented in captive breeding programmes. In the UK, the only breeding pair is currently kept at Colchester Zoo and only feature as of writing in one more collection (Longleat Safari Park). Some organisations are attempting to challenge their undeserved reputation, allowing visitors to get closer and learn more about their fascinating life histories and behaviour. The spotted hyena also has a penchant for problemsolving and teamwork, often exceeding the abilities of primates. Though they might not be considered the cutest animal around, spotted hyenas are not as cowardly as cartoons depict. Unlike the other species, they are extremely efficient hunters, rarely needing to scavenge. Time spent hunting tends to be on par with other African predators and levels of success are far greater than those of cheetahs and lions. More often than not, lions will try their luck stealing hyena kills which they will often not give up without a fight. Despite the few species present today, the Hyaenidae are a fascinating and unique group whose members are plagued by incorrect assumptions and negative depictions. One hopes that bias towards these animals can be overcome so that more focus can be placed on understanding their unique biology, ecology, and behaviour. There is still so much we do not know about hyenas, but perhaps eventually they may become as beloved as our dear feline friends, from whom they are not so far removed. By Thea Mainprize
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Cat Colours Heterochromia Heterochromia (heterochromia iridis) is the condition of having different-coloured irises. Some people call this having “Odd Eyes”. Having sectoral heterochromia myself, I have always wondered why this condition seems to be more common in cats than in humans. After having done some research, this is what I found: The simple answer for why heterochromia is more common in cats than in humans is inbreeding. When it comes to inherited heterochromia, that I will touch upon in a bit, this gene is recessive (it is only expressed when both the mother and father pass on the gene) and is thus almost always masked by another more dominant gene. In animals, this is the same, but it is way more common for cats from the same litter to produce offspring together and thus express the gene for heterochromia. Incest is obviously highly frowned upon by humans. Heterochromia in humans is mostly due to mutations, which is also explained below. There are three different types of heterochromia: complete (one iris is completely brown and the other one completely blue), sectoral (a part of the iris has a different colour, e.g. half of my eye is brown and the other half is blue) and central heterochromia (there is discoloration in a ring around the pupil). In addition to this, heterochromia can be either inherited, congenital or acquired. Inherited heterochromia is mostly found in epistatic white cats (meaning that the cat is genetically another colour, but this is not expressed). These epistatic cats have the socalled masking white gene: this gene is dominant over other colours and thus “overpowers” the other colours that the cat should have otherwise got. If the trait is congenital, this means that the colouration of the irises is caused by a gene mutation. When we say heterochromia is acquired, it is caused by medications, iris tumours and/or trauma.
Many believed David Bowie had Odd Eyes, because one of his eyes was darker than the other. This is often mistaken for acquired heterochromia but is, in reality, a condition called anisocoria. This means that one pupil is permanently dilated, and in Bowie’s case, this happened due to a fight he had as a teenager. Another fun ‘eye fact’ is that all cats are born with blue eyes. Melanin determines what eye colour an individual gets. The more melanin, the darker your eyes: browneyed cats have the most melanin and blue-eyed cats have the least. When born, there is hardly any melanin present in the eyes, however, at around 6-7 weeks, melanocytes (cells that produce melanin) begin to produce melanin, thus potentially changing the colour of the eyes. This process is triggered by light and is more or less the same in humans, pretty much all babies are born with blue eyes. And lastly, a common misconception is that heterochromia in cats is an indication that the cat is deaf: this is an especially well-known myth when it comes to white cats. Heterochromia does not imply the cat is deaf, however, it can occur in cats with heterochromia. The deafness is then found in the ear that is on the same side as the blue eye and is caused by the same white masking gene that was mentioned before. This same gene (that can cause heterochromia) also causes deafness in some cats. However, just from looking at a white cat with heterochromia, you cannot tell if that is the product of a white masking gene or another reason. Tortoises and oranges Tortoiseshell cats are per definition females. You might have never known this, but what you probably will know is that females have two X chromosomes and men only have one. The genes that result in a tortoiseshell cat are located on the X chromosome. In order to get this black, brown and orange fur coat, cats will need two X chromosomes, and this is why: when two dominant genes are put together from two X chromosomes, that separately produce black/brown and orange fur, they are called “co-dominant” - meaning that they will both be expressed. The result will be a tortoiseshell cat. Each individual cell will decide randomly whether it is going to produce black/brown or orange fur and that is how you get the patchy fur coat that we have in mind when thinking of these cats.
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Furthermore, this same genetic concept explains why orange cats are usually male (however, not exclusively). The gene for orange fur is also carried on the X chromosome. As males only have one of these X chromosomes, the presence of just one orange gene (that they get from their mother) is enough for them to become orange. However, in females, you will need to have two of these genes, so both the X chromosomes need to carry this, for this colour to be expressed. Any other colour will override the orange colour, so if the dad or mum does not pass on this gene, there will be no orange female offspring. Cats add a splash of colour to all of our lives and hopefully you will now understand a little better where they get theirs from! By Giulia Pipolo
The End of the Line At a very early stage of the pandemic, the FDA in the United States released guidelines regarding domestic animals, suggesting among other things that owners keep cats inside and away from other animals or people. Although it may seem like a lifetime away at this point, one of the first reported cases of an animal being infected by the disease was a tiger at the Bronx Zoo. In turn, four more tigers and three lions all managed to test positive. Unfortunately the symptoms of COVID-19 for household cats are quite severe, including fevers, coughing, difficulty breathing, nasal congestion and discharge, vomiting and diarrhoea. It seems their poor little bodies have a particularly hard time fighting off the virus. Many readers might testify to similar experiences and lament the fact that very little can be done for your cat once it actually becomes sick. While the reaction to the virus is significantly less severe among humans - as has been well documented at this point it has led to both hospitalization and, in even worse cases, death for a large number of people. The fear of the virus along with a general exhaustion in regards to mask mandates, quarantines and social distancing rules has led to a vaccine being developed at record breaking speed. At least this is what the current narrative seems to be. These have promptly been distributed to countries around the world in a remarkably effective manner. The question that seems to be on everybody’s mind, which in many ways is a frightening and at times dangerous one to ask, is how far we ought to take the requirements of vaccination. It has become an increasingly divisive issue and has at times erupted into that social and political turmoil and violence which seems so indicative of our current age of interconnectedness. I do not doubt that some if not most of you readers have gotten at least one of your doses. Some of you might even be planning on getting a third “booster shot” in the near future. For those few of you who may have read some of my other
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articles or perhaps know me personally will probably be able to guess where I stand on this issue. If not I am sure you are smart enough to figure that one out. In this article I plan to confront some of the more common arguments, as well as some misconceptions, that I have run into regarding my position. However, I would like to preface this by saying that I will not be raising doubts regarding the efficacy of the vaccines. Although one might raise some questions regarding the fact that a “booster shot” is at all necessary for a treatment that is, by definition, supposed to be permanent and the fact that this might lead to what are sometimes called “leaky vaccines”, it is simply not something that I am interested in. Furthermore, I will not be making any value judgments regarding your personal choice to take the vaccine. Instead I only hope to dispel some myths and perhaps even make you see this issue from my point of view, or at least make you understand it better. The first and most prevalent argument that I am met with goes something like this: “You’re just an anti-vaxxer”. Interestingly this is usually where the debate ends. Whether it is intentional or not, the labelling of your interlocutor as an “anti-vaxxer” seems to be the knee jerk reaction for most people when faced with someone that is sceptical towards vaccine mandates. This is little more than a strawman, constructed in order to make your debate partner seem like somewhat of a lunatic, while simultaneously making your argument seem stronger, without actually saying much of substance. The effort by the media to conveniently lump together people that are sceptical of vaccines in general and those that are sceptical of government intrusion upon liberties has made it easy to dispel anyone that even questions a mandate as crazy. For the readers that might wonder why shaming people that question the decisions of the government might be a bad idea, I direct you towards George Orwell’s 1984. A second argument is the one of personal and public health. One ought to take the vaccine in order to shield oneself and others from acute reactions to the virus. It would, in a sense, be the moral thing to do. As a strapping, young specimen of male physique I must admit that I do not worry too much about catching the virus. In fact, the time that I did get infected I had only a mild fever that lasted a night. So as much as somebody’s concern for my personal health is flattering, I think I would rather take my chances with the 99.98% survival rate and subsequent natural immunity. As for the issue of public health, I find it nearly laughable that anyone would believe that Big Pharmaceutical companies in the US would have any real concern for the health of the citizens of their country, not to speak of those of other nations. If one wants to see the truly devastating results of Big Pharma’s plots one does not need to look further than the homestate of my university, West Virginia. Although a marvel of nature, its rolling hills and towering mountains hide ghost towns and devastated hollers, emptied of people. Many are dead or soon to be as a result of reliance on prescribed Oxycodone; the citizens of this already poverty stricken state suffered particularly much during the opioid crisis. This also dispels the idea that Big Pharma would be held accountable for any adverse reactions to the vaccines. The fact that thousands of people across the US have suffered like this and yet little to no legal action has taken place against these companies show just how much power they hold. Besides, there is something called informed consent which makes holding them legally liable highly unlikely. Had you asked anyone even moderately left leaning - especially in the United States - prior to the pandemic of what they thought of Big Pharma, you would be surprised if they didn’t answer by spitting on the ground. The same kinds of people are now lining up in order to not only receive the Pfizer or Johnson and Johnson vaccine, but are also campaigning for it to become practically mandatory for everyone. As for whether I am concerned about infecting those around me - perhaps specifically those that have underlying issues - I have only this to say: if you feel safer because of it, then I encourage you to do it. However, I fail to see how it is that this vaccine is effective only if every single citizen is vaccinated. Some readers might recall - or perhaps they were told by a parent or older relative - that at one point in history, there actually was such a thing as vaccine passports. In fact, for a while, in order to board planes to travel, one was required to prevent evidence of one’s vaccination, including dates, signatures and origins of the vaccination. These International Certificates of Vaccinations (ICVs) or Yellow Cards, were a commonplace item for travellers in countries that were particularly susceptible to infectious diseases. This might even serve as a good example for some of why vaccine passports in fact would be a good and effective idea. However, I ask them to sincerely consider whether they believe that this ought to be absolutely necessary in order to even participate in society. Should I be able to get fired or removed from my place of education because I choose not to get vaccinated? Does that sound like something that someone who is truly concerned for my health would do?
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This idea that modern governments or companies have even a morsel of interest in the wellbeing of their citizens is seeming less likely for every day that passes by. If they did, would they then not instead campaign against smoking or obesity? Would they not encourage exercise, eating vegetables, drinking more water and in general improving people’s immune system naturally? Arguably this is the most effective way to prevent a severe reaction from COVID. Maybe we should just mandate daily training. Or would that be an infringement on people’s rights? If we are truly concerned about people’s health and we are willing to throw rights out the window, why not take it all the way? At the time of writing this, protests have been taking place in several countries for months in retaliation against stringent mandates enacted by governments around the world. Thousands of people have marched through the streets of Rome to chants of “liberta!”- liberty from so-called “Green Passes”, which allow those vaccinated, recently recovered or tested to dine indoors, use long distance trains or practically any leisurely activity. Recently there seems to have been an even greater push by the Italian government to enforce the same rules, this time even covering workplaces. This has prompted a strong reaction from labour unions and prominent political movements which are now on track to strike at Trieste and Genoa, blocking operations at two of the largest ports in the Mediterranean. The strike seems to consist of both unvaccinated and vaccinated workers alike. Simultaneously at the other side of the world in the cities of Melbourne and Sydney, hundreds of thousands of people have been protesting against seemingly dystopian measures enacted by their government. It is for these reasons that I chose to label myself as staunchly opposed to any effort to mandate a vaccine. Do I believe that there is some kind of conspiracy at work? Only if by conspiracy you mean a vicious cash grab by big pharmaceutical companies by preying on fearful citizens. I do not believe that the vaccine will sterilize all people or inoculate them with some kind of Nano-chip. I do however believe that once the powers that be get a taste for blood, it is highly unlikely they will relinquish that control. An example of a similar situation would be that little project called the US PATRIOT act, the consequences of which we are still living with. Throughout my twenty-some years of life - which is admittedly a relatively short time - I have yet to witness such a coordinated and loud movement of encouragement by social media and TV stars to do something, least of all getting a certain kind of treatment. I believe I could be forgiven for at least showing a bit of caution. It is as if a strange man is beckoning me to enter his white van, his pleas becoming increasingly hostile and desperate the more I refuse him. When someone asks me why I have not yet gone to get the vaccine I therefore answer that it is because I am protesting. I refuse to partake in creating a system that does not recognize bodily autonomy and self-reliance. I will not participate in this game. Until talks of these stringent mandates cease, I will not be getting vaccinated. If I cannot refuse to put something in my body because I do not want to and I truly do not need it, then of what use is my will? If it does not end here at our own bodies, then where? Being ever the pessimist I unfortunately believe that it is the end of the line for people like me. It might even be too late to change anything at all. The wheels have been set in motion and soon a time will come when people’s true colours will be revealed. By Luke Litvinov
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Communist Cats One of my oldest friends used to have a cat when she grew up. She died. The cat, not my friend. This story is not about her. This story is about another cat. The one she didn’t have at all. She would come in every once in a while, devour the cat food they left out for her, then vanish again for days. Presumably to eat cat food somewhere else because cats don’t care about ownership. Cats don’t care about which house belongs to whom. And perhaps, as you’ll see, we should be more like cats in this regard. As some of you may have heard, Köpi 137, a building in Berlin that has been occupied since 1990 when it would have otherwise been demolished, is now meant to be evacuated soon. Everything in this project is free or rather not for profit. Living and cultural spaces: free. Concerts, sport clubs, movie screenings, the communal kitchen: free. An anti-capitalist symbol of autonomous living. Now some of you may think, 'free food and housing sounds nice, but it's kind of illegal and all that jazz'. Well, in my hometown a group of activists has recently occupied an old monastery that had been vacated for 12 years. And while their endeavour is certainly not any more legal than that of Köpi 137 was, their media presence illustrates more effectively why such projects are nonetheless incredibly valuable. For example, they have documented rooms that are opened exclusively for FLINTA, that is female, lesbian, intersex, nonbinary, trans and agender people and rooms for BIPoC persons. These are some of the few truly safe spaces for these communities in my hometown. Their goal, however, is not only to be a safe space and centre for the local community to gather, but also to be
a symbol of protest against the state of the housing market in Germany. While there’s a huge population of people without shelter, there’s also a massive pile of vacant buildings in many cities that are just sitting there, waiting to be either renovated or demolished. Landlords and investors in doing so increase the value of the properties they purposefully leave to rot: “The housing market is just another secure investment for rich financiers resulting in the gentrification of entire neighbourhoods which means that people affected by poverty or racism can afford less and less housing and are slowly being pushed out of the cities.”, one of the statements on their blog reads. The monastery is just one of such buildings wilfully being kept vacant. And by occupying it, their very presence may be illegal, but it is one of protest and one that is supported by many of the locals who themselves have in the past often wondered whether they may enter the now publicly accessible gardens and halls. Maybe, you’ll still think to yourself, ‘oh, this is just some obscure German town with a terrible housing market, it has nothing to do with me’ and you may be right. All I’ll say is that the number of vacant houses in Aberdeen city at this moment in time is, perhaps unsurprisingly to anyone who has ever set foot into this city, over 2000 - according to their website. And how important are laws really, if what the activists are doing is only profiting the community. No one has anything against it and the property would still be empty had they not occupied it. A cat certainly wouldn’t care to ask whom it belonged to! By Fi Hennicken
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Puss Puss
Familiar Splashes of Gold. Billows of Amber. Lapis Lazuli stars in an ocean of black. Lamia’s pet, her. A night time rambler with tall striking features. A fellow aristocat. Even if I do say so myself.
Being clever like Puss Puss. King of cats. Snow flecked fog dense fur stuck in mud. But proudly paws, through Sermons and lessons a plenty. Can a king of Cats be, as clever as this? if he hides away, in a far corner of a palace of books.
Fallen Sleepless Nights. Forgotten achilles, just could not hold on any longer. Burnt lips, the frost burns too. Cuts deep. Shard’s splinter. Faithfulness is lost on the meek. What use could they have of that.
By Willow Daymond
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Enemies to Lovers Puss in Boots (2011) is an American adventure and comedy animated movie, sequel of the Shrek series. It stars the loved feline character Puss in Boots and his female counterpart Kitty Softpaws. In the film, the two cats start as enemies, but little by little they grown fond of one another. This trope is known as “Enemies to Lovers” in popular culture. It is predominant in romance literature. It is defined by two characters which often have a long history of conflict with each other. They may be on opposite sides of a struggle, or may have just met under unfortunate circumstances, which causes their personality clashed. Enemies may be forced to work together to achieve a common goal and come to respect one another, building slowly to a romantic relationship. The Enemies to Lovers’ trope can be found in a multitude of genres and art forms. Wither it is in Young Adult novels, Period pieces or in shows and films. One of the most famous pieces of the trope in literature is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. Indeed, the initially contentious relationship between Elizabeth and Mr Darcy are the perfect example of the trope. The two characters met under unfortunate circumstances which led their strong personalities to clash with one another, making them enemies. Nevertheless, their relationship evolves from absolute hatred, to a disaster of a proposal, to reconciliation by an act of kindness from Mr Darcy, helping Elizabeth’s family. A recent example of Enemies to Lovers in young adult literature would be Red, White and Royal Blue (2019) by Casey McQuiston, which went viral on BookTok. If the novel is not of the best writing style, it is balanced by an endearing plot and story line. In a fictive universe, parallel to ours, the son of the first female president of the United States and the British prince create a diplomatic incident that forces them to spend time together, despite having a long-time hatred for one another. This hatred evolves into a passionate secret relationship, which leads to disastrous consequences. Moreover, there are a multitude of variants to the Enemies to Lovers trope. One of them is Enemies to Friends to Lovers, which adds a step between the absolute hatred and all passionate relationship. A good example of this would be Beach Read (2020) by Emily Henry. The characters, January and Gus are both writers
and went to University together. January is all about romance novels and happy endings whereas Gus writes moody and dark stories that would make Hemingway proud. With such different visions of the world that surrounded them, they had a hard time getting along in their creative writing classes. Years later, they meet again, the competition is still there but it helps them write and progress on their respective projects. This work relationship makes them grow into friends, learning to understand each other’s world-view, until they get closer and closer and that friendships grows into love. Enemies to Lovers can also be found in several films and shows. In the series Parks and Recreation (20092015), Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt start as enemies. Ben is in Pawnee to cut the city’s budget and Leslie tries to save the Parks Department where she works. But these two do not stay sworn enemies for long. They end up in a secret, forbidden romance, since they work together. They end up with a happily ever after, despite the origin of their encounter and beginning of their relationship. Finally, the movie that is the prime example of Enemies to Lovers: 10 things I hate about you (1999). Kat and her sister Bianca are not allowed to date. Their father makes an exception after Bianca’s supplication: she will be able to date if her sister Kat does as well. This is not what Bianca had in mind. Their father comes up with this rule, knowing that Kat’s antisocial attitude make her slightly unlikable. Bianca makes Cameron, a boy interested in asking her out, aware of their father’s rule. He comes up with a plan, making Patrick, the “bad boy” with a confusing reputation go on a date with Kat, by having him payed. Patrick is not interested in Kat and she is not either. They both hate one another, but Patrick insists on asking Kat on date so he can get the money. Kat finally accepts. And turns out, the two loners have more in common than they thought. They grow found of each other, and finally end up really falling for one another, once all the schemes are revealed. Enemies to Lovers is one of the numerous tropes we can find in literature and cinema. Tropes are conducting threads, patterns that can be found in every creative piece, it is what links everything together. By Cecile Fardoux
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The Cannes International Film Festival The first feline to have left its print in cinema was Krazy Kat, hero of a series of animated short films first aired in 1916. It adapted a comic strip by George Herriman. 22 years after the first apparition of a cat on screen, the Cannes International Film Festival was created – as a statement against fascism. 105 years after Krazy Kat’s debut, what is the Cannes Film Festival like? French Minister of National Education Jean Zay, in 1938, alongside historian Philippe Erlanger and film journalist Robert Favre Le Bret, decided to create an international cinematographic festival. The French desired to compete with the Venice Film Festival – the only international film festival at the time - which had been tainted by Mussolini’s fascism. Mussolini was interfering into the jury’s decisions to put forward the films that fitted his agenda. In 1938, the Coppa Mussolini for Best film was attributed to the war film Luciano Serra, Pilot, produced by Mussolini’s own son…and the award for Best foreign film was given to the movie Olympia, a German documentary about the Berlin 1936 Summer Olympics produced in association with the Nazi Ministry of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda. In an urge for protest, the French, British and American jury members withdrew from the festival. The French were therefore encouraged to create their own festival and found support in their historic, diplomatic allies. The French Government hesitated between Biarritz, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean in the Southwest, Nice, and Cannes - both on the French Riviera – to hold their own festival. The Government chose Cannes for its geographical appeal but also because the Mairie (city hall) offered to increase their own financial participation which included the promise of building a dedicated venue for the Festival. This venue only completely came to life in 1977, replacing an old casino in which the Festival had been taking place so far. The Palais des Festivals looks like a big, modern boat, right near Cannes’ harbour, almost touching the Mediterranean sea, and facing the beautiful Lérins islands. The first edition of the Festival was planned from the 1st to 20th of September 1939, and Louis Lumière, (who…invented cinema with his brother Auguste!), was supposed to be the honorary president. Big Hollywood stars such as Gary Cooper, Cary Grant, Mae West or Spencer Tracy were sent to Cannes from the U.S.A by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer’s Ocean liner on t. On the 1st of September however, German troops invaded Poland. The Festival was on hold, and finally cancelled on the 3rd of September when France and the United Kingdom declared war against Germany. The Festival had to wait until the end of the Second World War, in 1946, to be launched. The official aim of Cannes is to ‘encourage the development of all forms of cinematographic art and foster a spirit of collaboration between film-producing countries’. Throughout the second half of the 21st century, the Festival expanded from its original simple concept of putting in competition films from all over the world. The Marché du Film (Film Market) was created to facilitate exchanges between buyers and sellers of the film industry and is now the first international platform for film commerce. The International Critics’ Week appeared as the first of many parallel sections of the Festival and showcased first and second works only, by directors from the whole world. Un Certain Regard (a certain glance) is another parallel section which puts forward more unique and bold takes on film. What is the Cannes Film Festival like in 2021? Well, I know what it is like and you could know too. The festival offers invitations to cinephiles aged 18-25 who proved their passion for the 7th art in a letter. This year, the Festival took place exceptionally in July instead of May because of COVID-19 issues. The 2021 edition was very close to the 1st edition of the Festival, in a way, since it followed a cancelled edition due to global events – in 2020, the Festival was cancelled due to the pandemic. To me, the modern Cannes Festival is a moment in the year, when all films are celebrated. All genres, all countries, all lengths; more or less traditional and innovative, more or less polished and scandalous…and no stupid blockbusters in the horizon. It welcomed blockbusters sometimes, if Tarantino’s movies are to be considered this way - but only the clever, independent ones which become blockbusters because of their immense quality. No blockbusters written to be blockbusters. It is a purely international festival, reminding us that the U.S. does not have a monopoly over cinema. It is so rich and precious.
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Not only can you watch new, intriguing movies, but you can meet with people from the industry. I had the chance for instance, to attend a masterclass with director Steve McQueen (12 years a Slave). He was fascinating! His descriptions of movie-making made it all sound organic. He talked about ‘sphere’ actors instead of ‘cube’ actors. He wants his actors to be so ready that, just like a sphere rolling, whatever direction they take, it will be just. In contradiction with a cube which needs a push to move and can only go in straight lines. Fascinating! The first thing I want to express is how heart-warming the experience is for anyone who loves cinema. I experienced the feeling of full rooms – like you never get in our modern world anymore. Rooms full of true cinephiles, who are truly capable of disappearing into the room, merging with their red velvet seats, mesmerized by the big screen. Any reaction, fear, or laughter is expressed without constraint and these reactions are empowered by such full rooms; one’s own laughter joins all the other laughs. At the sight of some production companies, joyful screams are heard, and they sound like a ‘thank you’; ‘thank you for giving life to small-budget movies!’. The Amazon Prime logo appeared before a movie once, I cannot remember which one, and the whole room booed. At the end of each film, people were respectfully applauding – and their applause was more or less strong and long depending on how much they liked the movie. Spontaneous applause in the middle of a film, at the sight of the Festival’s logo…Sometimes people were giving standing ovations, even if the team of the movie was not at the projection. It was an experience of interaction: with films, other spectators, and all the creators within cinema (from critics to distributors and if lucky, the directors themselves!). How precious it was to have witnessed directors in the rooms with us, finally ready to show us the fruit of their long work. It simply felt so pure to be completely removed from the commercial aspect which consumed modern experiences of cinema. I was not a customer getting the service or the good I paid for (“if I pay for it why would I need to pay respect, to applaud, the film owes me to be good!!!”), I was a cinema lover, watching 5 movies a day because I simply love it. And the people around me were all in the same mindset, a mindset that felt more like a natural instinct. Daily, I watched 4 to 5 movies – and did not even watch a third of everything that was available. It was like meeting someone new every day; I was going to watch movies without knowing what their story was, who made them, who plays in them, which country they are from. I had to be completely without prejudice, simply welcoming every film, ready, with all my best intentions. Annette by Leos Carax, with Marion Cotillard and Adam Driver, opened the Festival this year. For the first time, I had the impression to witness the birth of a masterpiece. A true masterpiece: the best from a master’s career, a film that explores everything the 7th art has to give. I would never say it is my favourite film, but it is by far the best, most powerful movie I have ever seen. So peculiar, yet so beautiful. Literally everything that one can do in a movie, Leos Carax did. The story explores the themes of love, the modern days, abuse, and innocence, all through very specific lenses. The movie borrows from the structures of fairy tales and tragedy. Oh and also, it is a musical based on original music created by the Sparks. The character of Annette is literally a puppet for most of the movie. Adam Driver delivers an insane performance, and I truly believe he deserved the award for best actor at the closing ceremony. The aesthetics are truly ethereal, colour and light, magical. Images are superimposed, sets look realistic at once and look like these of a theatre scene at other times. Full of symbolism. Full of rhythm – I am thinking here of a particular scene with actor Simon Helberg as music conductor… I’ve also seen Petrov’s flu by Kirill Serebrennikov; I remember my immediate impression was that it was horribly deconstructed. But looking back at it, it is strangely a pleasant memory. Ghahreman, by Ashgar Farhadi! So intense, full of emotions, full of sympathy. It gave an insight in the society that is Iran – and Farhadi seems to be quite critical. Specifically, the film revolves around one incident which reveals the flaws in public morals, the injustice of the public eye, the exploitative potential around morals. A father and his son…Women Do Cry by Vesela Kazakova and Mina Mileva celebrates a family mainly composed of women, more or less young, free, or tough. It climaxes for me at a scene where they all bathe in a river, having fun, laughing - before being out of the water, when they all open their hearts and cry individually, without looking at each other. Tout s’est bien passé by François Ozon was very blue, movingly funny, and as much as it was a simple plot, very tense. Most importantly, it tackled the issue of euthanasia around an eccentric, quite detestable (but also lovable) character surrounded by two loyal daughters. Dangsin-eolgul-apeseo by Sangsoo Hong was the most terrible experience of cinema of my entire life so far. Slow, so slow! There was absolutely no plot, not even a story, and the cinematography was this of a never-moving camera, stuck at a
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side of the room, recording endless, pointless discussions from a very static point of view. At some point the grave secret of the main character is revealed: she is sick and is going to die soon – and I didn’t feel a thing! This is only my subjective view of course, and I still value this experience. I have a very strong principle of never leaving a theatre, even if I really do not like a movie. I was resisting the urge to get up and leave and gave the movie a chance until the end…Now I can state for sure that it is the worst movie I’ve ever seen! I still want people to go and watch it, I want to know how they liked it, I want to know if I missed something. Flag Day by Sean Penn was a story told a million times already, but I would pick this version over all the others! JFK Revisited: Through the Looking Glass by Oliver Stone was a documentary revealing the truth behind JFK’s death. It is very long, methodical, and thorough but so valuable. Intriguing and revolting, it definitely erases any other documentaries’ attempts to ‘solve’ JFK. The French Dispatch by Wes Anderson and Titane by Juila Ducorneau were my personal favourites. Anderson’s movie was incredibly poetic – as always. It was a pure homage to two loves of the director: The New Yorker magazine and France. A golden cast (Bill Murray, Tilda Swinton, Adrien Brody, Benicio del Toro, Frances McDormand, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Timothée Chalamet) creates a very unique story: the redaction team of a magazine from the U.S.A settles a sort of branch in a small French village, writing articles inspired by the life in this village. The spectator follows, in turn, three of the journalists investigating three (very French) stories. A strike (referring quite directly to Mai 68), a mad artist and the power of cuisine. The images are impeccable, beautiful, and surprising! The actors are all at their best, and the humour is particularly close to this of The Grand Budapest Hotel – very swee. I simply loved it. Titane…The most controversial movie I watched at the Festival. The crowd was absolutely divided about it. I mean, quite literally, the room was left by a good number of spectators who were too shocked. It is a very violently graphic movie, following a young woman in the madness of murders. This is the first reason why I really appreciated this movie: it is so rare to see depicted a female serial murderer. The thing is, this short description I just wrote is accurate but does not do the film justice. It is so much more than the story of a female murderer! The film does indeed take a sharp turn after the series of graphic murders and other acts of violence. (Not only is the violence graphic, but it is also absolutely perverted. Actions you could never have imagined on your own, not your typical, simple knife-in-the-back murders. And the sounds! The sounds of every single violent action were so in-your-face, that I genuinely had to cover my ears sometimes). The sharp turn introduces a story of redemption, and both metaphorically and literally, of rebirth. In a way, another story of father and sons. This new chapter is activated by a transition with the story of violence which is based on the need for the main character to hide. Titane presents itself as a challenge to any potential spectator: who will be able to see past the graphic aspect of the movie? It is easy to categorise the film in a short reaction to shock and disgust, but there lies a real, beautiful, poetic gem. One aspect I particularly admired was the rhythm of the movie – it was as strict as a music sheet. Images are rather colourful, neonlike. And among the madness, a lot of shots are absolutely calm and metaphorical. Death allows rebirth, this is to me the core principle of Titane – but it should not be schematised as a circular cycle, it is more chaotic. Death allows rebirth in all directions, simultaneously, for everyone. Spike Lee, the president of the jury for the 2021 edition of the Cannes Film Festival, announced quite chaotically himself, that Juila Ducorneau’s Titane won the Palme d’Or (the most prestigious award of the ceremony). Titane will represent France at the Oscars in the Best foreign film category! If you never intend to try and attend the Festival, or to follow it closely from afar, I hope that I at least made you realise its very existence. You probably heard about it before, but I mean that I hope I gave you a more intrinsic insight at what it exactly is about. It, alongside many other international festivals in the world, but perhaps it precisely, has to be preserved. The work done is so valuable and I want people to realise that very regularly, it is festivals like Cannes which enable hidden gems to be thrown at the public eye – like a springboard. Let’s not forget that without Cannes, you would never have had the chance to see Bong Joonho’s Parasite on your local screens. Before Parasite made it to the Oscars, (where journalists asked the director why he decided to make the movie in Korean and not in English…) it was in Cannes, with a ceremony all in French, without it being seen as an insult to the imperial U.S.A. Vive le Festival de Cannes! By Déborah Lazreug
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IMAGO Cat, in Coraline, by Henry Selick, 2009, Laika productions ‘There are those who have suggested that the tendency of a cat to play with its prey is a merciful one – after all, it permits the occasional funny little running snack to escape, from time to time. How often does your dinner get to escape?’ Laika studios describes their animated movie as follows: ‘Wandering her rambling old house in her boring new town, Coraline discovers a hidden door to a fantasy version of her life. In order to stay in the fantasy, she must make a frighteningly real sacrifice.’ The movie is based on Neil Gaman’s book (2002), which is categorised as a ‘dark fantasy children’s novella’. Rather quiet, and nameless, the cat in Coraline is still central. Indeed, if he might sound a bit proud and sarcastic at first, adding a touch of humour to the story, Cat also plays a mysterious, guiding role. Cat is the only other creature beside Coraline who can travel between the two worlds (the real one and the fantasy). As much as he therefore confirms to the spectator that Coraline is not just dreaming, he also is secretly mighty as we observe him disappearing and re-appearing. Cat seems to have been for years a silent observer of the mystery taking place around the territory he ‘felinely’ chose, knowing by heart all the details of the Other world. His knowledge comes as very precious for Coraline, and it culminates when it enables Cat to actively help her when she needs it most. In a way, Cat is only a dark, fantasy take on what our cats are in reality. Cats are quite mystical: they do wander around as they please, come and go; they sometimes freeze suddenly and fixate the void of a room, as if they could see things that we cannot see for ourselves; there is a peacefulness in cats which mimics the comfort of knowledge and wisdom. As Halloween is at our door-steps, I vividly recommend watching or re-watching Coraline. The story is captivating, revolving around the principle of ‘be careful what you wish for’: it is full of meaning. It is spooky, even for adults. And most importantly, the images are beautiful and this is a now-rare instance of stop-motion animation technique. Completing the movie involved more than 500 people over four years. Principal photography alone took 18 months! 35 animators worked on the film, each of them completing on average between 2.22 and 6.52 seconds of footage per week. Working with small-sized puppets, a total of 15,000 replacement faces were created for all the characters in the film, each one of which had to be hand-sanded and hand-painted (Laika Studios)…It really is a masterpiece! Annibale Carracci, Two Children Teasing a Cat, c.1588, oil on canvas A unique tension is created in this painting: we are waiting for the obviously annoyed cat to express their frustration. The cat’s facial expression and bodily position is so strongly depicted that we can almost hear them growl. The girl’s hand is delicately put on the table, facing the cat. The hand is attracting our gaze and enhancing the tension, creating suspense: we are precisely waiting for the cat to scratch the girl’s hand in a mad, fair tantrum. The painting, in fact, invites us to imagine an outcome. As for the choice of scorpions, it could be symbolical. Scorpions represent danger and therefore quite literally, the children are playing with danger…Their little game will have bad, hurtful consequences. As the Met says about this artwork, it has, in one image, the power of common sayings such as ‘Let sleeping dogs lie’ or ‘Don’t go poking around vipers’. By Déborah Lazreug
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The Journal of Matters Relating to Felines…
…Thanks everyone that made the publication of this issue possible and thank you to our dedicated readers.
Committee
Editors
Cecile Fardoux, President Déborah Lazreug, Secretary Thomas Meiehofer, Treasurer
Rosie Guy Déborah Lazreug Cecile Fardoux
Writers Fi Hennicken, English and Philosophy student Giulia Pipolo, Animal Behaviour student Willow Daymond, English Literature student Luke Litvinov, Philosophy student Rosie Guy, English Literature Thea Mainprize, Biosystematics student Déborah Lazreug, English Literature and Art History student Cecile Fardoux, English Literature with Creative Writing student
Where to find us and get involved… journalofmattersrelatingtofelines@outlook.com or felines@ausa.org.uk
Journal of Matters Relating to Felines
@journalofmatters
@journalofmatters
