DO YOU BELONG?

"Being kept as a pet, he is viewed as a pet cat throughout the book; his true nature has been overlooked, neglected; he himself does not know where he belongs." Before a pandemic disrupted the world, my final university project was focused on making ceramics related to exotic animals being out of place within the average household. The animals would be present in places they didn’t belong and become noticeable within a kitchen, in order to illuminate their struggle within our consumerist and destructive lifestyles. However, due to my university closing campus I was forced to adapt to the current situation and change my project idea completely. I preserved my original subject matter of tigers out of place and converted it into a narrative. I was stuck on what to do and how I could still illuminate my chosen social issue, but after being bored in lockdown and watching tiger king, I scribbled down a narrative about a tiger being kept as a pet within a commonplace household. Due to his ignorance and upbringing, he is viewed as a cat throughout the book, until the family is mauled to death out of instinct and somewhat revenge. The current situation really hindered my life and creativity, and the book isn’t perfect... but it’s a perfect example of transforming a pandemic, my frustration, my hinderance into something that could make a difference; something that could let humanity focus on something else that still affects the planet. If I can make a book in my room, in dirty bed sheets, anyone suffering through these strange circumstances can do anything they set their mind to. The following is a selection of pages from the book. (not shown in order)