One more cat statue coming up

Saadiah (left) and Jamil exchange the signed MoU witnessed by Abdul Wahap.

KUCHING: This city will soon have another monumental cat sculpture in addition to the existing three cat statues located in the heart of the city.

Datuk Bandar of Kuching North City Commission (DBKU) Datuk Abang Abdul Wahap Abang Julai said the new seven-foot-tall sculpture, which features five cats made entirely out of used and recyclable materials, was a collaborative project between DBKU and Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak.

“Installation works for the sculpture to be located at Kuching Esplanade in Jalan Gambier will commence this month and is expected to be completed within four months’ time. DBKU will provide materials such as scrap metals while students from UiTM Sarawak Faculty of Arts and Design will construct the sculpture,” he told reporters after witnessing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between DBKU and UiTM Sarawak at DBKU headquarters here yesterday.

Signing the MoU on behalf of DBKU was its director Dr Saadiah Abdul Samat while UiTM Sarawak Rector Prof Dato Dr Jamil Hamali signed on behalf of the university.

Abdul Wahap said upon completion, the new cat sculpture would be the latest attraction here where locals and visitors alike could have their photographs taken to remember them of their visit to the city.

“This new addition is also in line with our CBS (Cantik, Bersih, Selamat) Plan to make Kuching a beautiful, clean, safe and popular city by 2017,” he added.

Meanwhile, UiTM Sarawak Faculty of Arts and Design head of programme, Clement Jimel, said the project would be undertaken by 15 students from the faculty.

“We want to utilise the scrap materials provided by DBKU so that whenever the public sees the sculpture they will know that they come from DBKU.

“It is also meant to educate people on the importance of public sculptures as well as to promote the university’s fine arts programme,” he said.