1001 Cats for New York
An Artistic Vision for Public Art, Community Cats and Urban Ecology
Can a city change its spirit by changing its relationship with animals?
In 2023, I spent one month walking through Manhattan.
I encountered countless rats.
But I saw only one cat.
It looked exhausted, wandering through the summer streets almost like a ghost.
That unexpected encounter stayed with me long after I returned to Istanbul.
Istanbul and New York are two of the world's most iconic cities. Both are shaped by migration, diversity, creativity and constant movement. Yet one difference immediately caught my attention.
In Istanbul, community cats are part of everyday life. They sleep in parks, wander through neighborhoods, wait outside cafés, accompany fishermen along the Bosphorus and quietly become part of the city's collective memory. People feed them, photograph them and tell stories about them. They are not simply animals living in a city—they have become part of its cultural identity.
Walking through New York, I began asking myself a simple question:
What if cities could also transform their emotional landscape by transforming their relationship with community animals?
That question eventually became 1001 Cats for New York.
Why "1001"?
The number 1001 is intentionally symbolic.
It pays tribute to the timeless imagination of One Thousand and One Nights, where every story opens the door to another. Likewise, this project is not about a fixed number of cats, shelters or installations. It is about creating possibilities.
Whether the future brings 11 cat shelters, 101 community projects or simply one meaningful conversation, the spirit of the project remains the same.
The title invites people to imagine a city where compassion, biodiversity, art and everyday life become part of the same story.
More Than Cats
Although cats gave birth to the original idea, this project is ultimately about cities.
It explores how public art can encourage conversations about biodiversity, coexistence and shared urban spaces.
Community animals often reveal something deeper about the places we live. They remind us that cities are ecosystems rather than collections of buildings. Parks, trees, insects, birds, people and animals all contribute to the invisible rhythm that gives every city its unique character.
Rather than presenting technical solutions, 1001 Cats for New York proposes an artistic framework capable of inspiring dialogue between artists, ecologists, urban planners, educators, animal welfare organizations and local communities.
From Postcard to Proposal
During my stay in New York in 2023, I sent several handmade postcards introducing the first version of this idea to the Mayor's Office.
At that time, the project existed only as a brief artistic intuition—a title, a slogan and a dream.
Over the following years, that intuition gradually evolved into a more comprehensive vision combining public art, cultural exchange and urban ecology.
Today, this blog marks the public beginning of that journey.
What the Project Is — and What It Is Not
It is important to clarify one point.
1001 Cats for New York is not a proposal to simply transport cats from one country to another.
The original image of "1001 cats travelling from Istanbul to New York" was conceived as an artistic metaphor—a poetic invitation to imagine how compassion, biodiversity and coexistence might reshape the identity of a city.
Any future practical initiatives would naturally need to respect scientific research, veterinary expertise, ecological balance, legal regulations and the knowledge of local organizations already working in this field.
The project's purpose is to encourage dialogue, not to replace existing expertise.
An Invitation
This project invites artists, educators, architects, landscape designers, ecologists, historians, students, community organizations and public institutions to imagine together.
Could public art celebrate community animals?
Could beautifully designed cat shelters become educational landmarks?
Could storytelling encourage biodiversity?
Could a park become not only greener, but emotionally richer?
Perhaps the most valuable outcome is not the answer, but the conversation itself.
Current Status
Initiated: 2023
Executive Proposal completed: 2026
The Executive Proposal has been submitted to:
- Office of the Mayor of New York City
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
- Animal Care Centers of NYC
Further conversations with cultural, ecological and community organizations may follow as the project develops.
About the Artist
Evrensel Ürüm (Evros) is a multidisciplinary artist and designer based in Istanbul, Türkiye.
His work combines visual art, public participation, ecology, performance, design and cultural dialogue. Throughout the past two decades he has organized and participated in numerous international exhibitions, social awareness projects and collaborative initiatives exploring the relationship between art, nature and society.
1001 Cats for New York continues this journey by asking a simple question:
Can kindness become part of urban design?
A Living Project
This is not the conclusion of a project.
It is its first public chapter.
Perhaps nothing will happen.
Perhaps a single conversation will begin.
Or perhaps one day, somewhere in New York, a child will meet a community cat resting beside a small public artwork and never know that the idea began years earlier with one exhausted cat wandering through Manhattan on a hot summer afternoon.
Every meaningful change begins with a story.
This is ours.
Project Creator
Evrensel Ürüm (Evros)
Multidisciplinary Artist · Designer · Curator
Creator of the 1001 Cats for New York Project
Founder, W-AFPIAAP (Worldwide Artists For Peace International Art Action Project)
📍 Istanbul, Türkiye
