When you hear the word “Cats,” what comes to mind? The Sondheim musical? That soft bundle of fur, curled on your lap? Or maybe the yowling duo in the alleyway who awakened you last night at 2 am?
When I hear the word “Cats” I think of these strange, lurking felines who’ve popped up all over DTLA. Winston Street photographer/curator Stephen Zeigler told me that the enigmatic cats are the creation of “Wild Life,” an elusive L.A. artist whose whimsical aesthetic has intrigued me since I moved downtown three years ago.
“WL’s intention is for there to be nine cats that move from building to building around downtown,” Zeigler told me. “Each time they move they change color.”
So far, The wild cat has been spotted on top of a building at 4th and Broadway;
on top of Zeigler’s building at 118 Winston St.;
atop Angel City Brewery in the Arts District, on the roof of the American Hotel;
sunning itself above Pershing Square, and high up a mid-block building on Spring St., between 5th and 6th.
“I’ve helped Wild Life to move these creatures from location to location,” Zeigler said. “We’ve hoisted them sometimes up four stories, using makeshift rigging equipment.”
The cat is currently in its 7th incarnation, atop the Los Angeles Theater and can be seen from the alley on 6th St. Check him out before he’s on to his 8th life, somewhere else.
Los Angeles Theater from 6th St.
Pershing Square
Broadway near the famous tree
Spring St. between 6th and 5th
Winston St. between Main and Los Angeles
