Applying for Being a Cat
2021, Mar. 27th-2022, Feb. 6th
“Resonating Sounds –
Treasure Hill Culture & History Permanent Exhibition”,
Taipei Treasure Hill Artist Village, Taipei
Having been a subject of controversy and power wrangling between different parties over its dismantlement and the placement of its residents, Treasure Hill is now deemed a historical settlement with its landscape preserved and the right to adequate housing partially recognized on the site. More than a decade later, many of Treasure Hill’s residential homes have slowly become places of display. The shift in the site’s function has also ushered in different groups of people, prompting changes in how Treasure Hill is physically navigated. Its current traffic flow also reflects the changes taking place on the site. Nooks and crannies between buildings and even rooftop slopes that were once used as thoroughfares are now marked with signs in order to prevent visitors from causing disturbances to local residents. Technically, those that are legally permitted to enter into these restricted areas are the staff assigned to maintain these places of display, which includes janitors, security guards, and administrative personnel. Other than that, there are also the cats.
“Applying for Being a Cat” provided an opportunity to enter into these restricted areas to people other than those working at Treasure Hill. All that was needed was to fill out an application, and once accepted become a cat. The applicants can then enter into certain designated restricted areas for a short duration of time.
The exhibition of “Applying for Being a Cat” consisted of three parts, which were “Applying for Being a Cat Office” (ABCO), “Applying for Being a Cat Archives” (ABCA), and “ABCO Secret passage”. They were located on the first floor of the exhibition venue and its’ air-raid shelter basement.
1F ➣ Applying for Being a Cat Office
【Applying for Being a Cat Office | ABCO】
There was an introductory video that played in the " Applying for Being a Cat Office" on the first floor. All applicants must watch the video before starting the process. Next to the video there were explanations of the rules for applying for being a cat.
The ABCO intro video
The ABCO
application policies
Applicants could choose one of the four secret attractions at Treasure Hill that were selected by ABCO, and implement their five minute being-a-cat plan on that spot. These secret attractions are areas prohibited to tourists after Treasure Hill became an artist village, but before that, they used to be passages that the previous residents could walk through freely. Applicants had to get the qualification of being a cat at ABCO first, and then they were allowed to go the secret spot. Also, they could only choose the secret spot based on its description, but not on its picture.
Samples of
the safety rules of Secret Attraction
& written test
Applicants had to pass a technical and written test, and to fill out the application form. The ABCO coordinator would review the application and decide if the applicant was qualified. The qualified applicants could proceed to fulfill their plan.
ABCO
application forms
If applicants violated safety rules and was whistled at by the ABCO coordinator three times during the execution of their plan, they would be disqualified from getting the ABCO certification.
Documentation of an ABCO applicant’s participation
After completing the plan applicants had to return to the ABCO and fill out a report. The ones that completed their proposal and complied with all the rules would receive a "ABCO CAT CERTIFICATION" badge.
B1 ➣ Applying for Being a Cat Archives” +“ABCO Secret Passage
【Applying for Being a Cat Archives | ABCA】
The “Applying for Being a Cat Archives” (ABCA) was located in the basement air raid shelter. The ABCO Official Website was presented at the entrance of the ABCA. Everyone could browse the website and find out information about ABCO. They could also watch video recordings of each ABCO applicant’s “Being a Cat” process on the website.
All of the ABCO applicants' video recordings of their executions was played in the ABCA. It also displayed all of the ABCO applications / proposals / reports, and info about each secret attraction, so that the viewers could read these documents themselves.
Secret attractions
images & descriptions
【ABCO Secret Passage】
The secret passage was located in the basement air raid shelter. The space of the secret passage was originally connected to the ABCA room. During the exhibition, a partition was installed to separate these two parts, so the viewers had to enter into each space through different entrances. After ABCO applicants completed their process, the ABCO coordinator would take them into the secret passage, this was the final spot that all applicants visited in the exhibition.
When the viewers entered the secret passage, they would hear an audio recording of an interview of a staff member of Treasure Hill Artist Village (also on the wall was a transcript of the interview.) This staff member was explaining the evolution of the residency situation of the residents at Treasure Hill through the years. It mentioned that at the beginning, in order to let the original residents of Treasure Hill keep staying here, Treasure Hill was turned into a historical and cultural settlement / artist village. During this process, the several regulations / guidelines / policies came into being, and in 2021 (the same year when this work was exhibited) there was a new version of guidelines. Since Treasure Hill was already a historical and cultural settlement / artist village, the new guidelines required that the original residents had to submit an application for an art residency.
| Audio recording of the interview with a relevantmember of the senior staff
Transcript of the interview
With the transcript and all the guidelines, the viewers would also see an application form for an Artist-in-Residency at Treasure Hill, and it looked exactly like the one for ABCO applicants. From there the ABCO applicants realized that all the paperwork and regulations that they just went through, was a mild mini-version of what the original residents need to deal with all the time. And that was the outcome of a residential place becoming a displayed space.
Application form for Artist-in-Residency
at Treasure Hill
