The Cat Flight Installed at the Fort Kochi Water Metro Station

KOCHI:
The Kochi Biennale Foundation has installed Poocha Vimaanam / The Cat Flight at the Fort Kochi Water Metro station, one of the venues of the ABC Art Room programme. The large-scale upcycled soft sculpture was created through a public workshop held at the ABC Art Room during the Kochi-Muziris Biennale 2025–26, facilitated by textile artist Rashi with the support of the ABC Art Room team.

Evoking an image of stretching, pausing, and becoming weightless amidst the demands of everyday life, Poocha Vimaanam / The Cat Flight invites viewers to reflect on rest, playfulness, and shared creativity. Constructed from discarded clothing collected from communities across Kerala, the sculpture stands as a symbol of collective effort and transformation.

The sculpture’s inner metal structure was designed and welded by artists Arjun S. Sasikumar and Govind Rajamani. Over the course of a three-day public workshop at the ABC Art Room at the Water Metro, visitors of all ages participated in the making of the work by attaching pieces of old clothing to the structure. Poocha Vimaanam / The Cat Flight embodies the Kochi Biennale Foundation’s commitment to public art as a shared social and creative experience. First installed on the roof of the Art Room during the Biennale, the sculpture has now been relocated to the Water Metro station, extending its life within a public transit space where it can continue to invite encounter, participation, and collective engagement in everyday urban life.

The ABC (Art By Children) Programme is an integral initiative of the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF), a non-profit charitable trust established to promote art, culture, and education in India. Conceived as a research-driven art education programme, ABC engages children, adults, communities, educators, and teachers through creative learning processes. Rather than seeking to turn participants into artists, the programme aims to nurture environments where art, imagination, and collaboration can flourish. The ABC programme is led by Blaise Joseph, Programme Lead, with Neethu K.S., Programme Associate.

At the heart of the programme is the ABC Art Room, which functions as a non-competitive, non-judgmental, and fearless space for creative exchange. During the Biennale, Kochi Water Metro Limited generously provided space for the ABC Art Room Project, enabling the programme to conduct regular public workshops, learning sessions, and a Children’s Art Gallery. ABC Art Rooms are also conducted in selected government schools across different regions of Kerala.

The Kochi Biennale Foundation extends its gratitude to Kochi Water Metro Limited for its generous support. The Foundation also thanks workers Johnson, Vasanth, Mani, Thavam, Rajesh, and Kumar for their technical support during the installation process, and the ABC Art Room volunteers Fayaz, Nitin, Gouri, Vinita, Anupriya, Vyshakh, Arshad K.T., and Sulaiman for their invaluable assistance throughout the workshop and installation.