Cats in Riga

This view of the Latvian capital through cats’ eyes and ears adds a new perspective on news reports. The camera focuses not on the human population, but on the felines in Riga’s streets, houses and offices. While TV reports concentrate on the encroaching threat of Russia, the cats purr, sniff and yawn. There are cats in apartment blocks, government buildings and on the mayor’s conference table. There are hordes of silent witnesses all over the place, looking like they’re keeping a sharp eye on what’s going on around them. The only sound that interrupts the constant background TV noise and the hum of humanity comes when a musical cat parades on piano keys. We visit a cat exhibition and a pet salon, and attend a commemoration service and a political gathering, but scenes in which a mouse is found or a dog has to be avoided seem more important. From highly original camera angles we see a leaky shower providing a challenge to a thirsty cat, and a staircase transformed into a labyrinth. The everyday sound of footsteps is a mystery to the ears of a cat. This experimental ode to cathood plays with the notion of subjectivity, with the shift in perspective encouraging viewers to reflect on their own perception of reality.