LAIKA Studios’ whimsical stop-motion film “Coraline” recently returned to theaters in Remastered 3D, marking the film’s 15th anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, the Portland-based film studio launched a mystical interactive art installation featuring 30 “Cat” statues scattered throughout the city. Each statue is a peculiar, colorful and creative variant of “Cat,” the appropriately named sarcastic side character from the film. Over the course of the movie, Cat slinks between the two mirrored realms, serving as a mystical observer and aiding Coraline as she attempts to navigate, and escape, the Other World. Much like in the movie, this elusive cat can be found in unlikely places — all over the city.
If you find yourself wandering around downtown Portland in the coming weeks, you will probably see at least one of the enchanting sculptures on “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail.” Intrigued passersby, cat lovers and “Coraline” fans alike have spent the past month pausing to appreciate the different installations, which have brought some of the magic of the world of “Coraline” to the streets of Portland.
LAIKA collaborated with the Visit Downtown Campaign, Wild in Art, OHSU Doernbecher Children’s Hospital and several local artists to create these quirky statues that capture the strange beauty of the Other World. The statues can be viewed on the “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” website, which also includes links to the artists’ other work. From their websites, you can get a glimpse of what went into creating these eccentric art pieces, from captivating timelapses to behind the scenes pictures of the artists at work.
Incredibly, “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” is not just an art installation; after an inaugural 10-week period, the project will culminate in a grand auction on Oct. 30, where all of the unique sculptures will be available to purchase. The proceeds from this auction will benefit OHSU’s Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, an academic teaching hospital offering pediatric care in downtown Portland. This donation will hopefully aid the hospital in continuing to provide effective and supportive care for their young patients.
Additionally, LAIKA and the organizers of the project have hosted two litter-pickup events along the trail so far (pun intended), encouraging fans of “Coraline” and casual enjoyers alike to give back to their community through an organized service project. Over the course of this creative installation, LAIKA has shown an admirable effort to make a positive local impact by supporting Portland based artists and partnering with the Visit Downtown Campaign to help clean up city streets. LAIKA has a long history of showing their appreciation for the city of Portland. “LAIKA promotes the spirit of a city known for embracing the free thinking, the counter-cultural and the adventurous,” says the studio’s website. “We’re proud of our home, its history, and its culture. LAIKA wouldn’t be the same creative, industry-defining company if it was born anywhere else.”
After visiting parts of the trail myself, I would highly encourage anyone interested in “Coraline” or the local Portland art scene to check it out. Additionally, LAIKA will be holding their third and final trash pick-up event on Wednesday, Oct. 9. It is completely free, all you need to do is sign up, and the meeting location is just a quick 15-minute walk from the Pio Express downtown bus stop at SW Broadway and Hall. This is a great opportunity to not only see the trail and appreciate the work of some talented local artists, but also to take part in giving back to your city. If you wish to follow the trail yourself, a map of the cats can be found on LAIKA website or through their interactive app, which also allows you to track how many cats you have discovered along the way. The installation will only be up until Oct. 13, so take advantage of the fleeting warm weather this upcoming weekend and use “Coraline’s Curious Cat Trail” as an excuse to get out and explore the city of Portland.
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