For the LOL of cats @ The Photographers Gallery – London

Not only from cats lives the Internet, also talking dogs and a few other unimportant cute creatures, but much  to our regret we have to agree with Internet activist Ethan Zuckerman when he says “Web 1.0 was invented to allow physicists to share research papers. Web 2.0 was created to allow people to share pictures of cute cats.“

I personally prefer canine cute creatures to feline cute creatures, but I have to admit that felines look better on camera… and do funnier things in front of it.. they, simply, have, a natural pose for every situation. And because their images, videos, gifs and infinite memes of all sorts have come to dominate the web, it was only a matter of time before an exhibition compiled some of the web’s best feline stills.

Maybe we’re missing some more digital mediums to showcase such large trend but London’s Photographers Gallery just opened today this little cycle displayed on The Wall and included within their digital programme.

3 months were a diverse array of photo bloggers, photographers and related online communities will be invited to share their “feline image collections, reflecting the multifaceted world of cat culture online”.

The exhibition will focus on a number of contemporary trends and projects including cat scanning, cat breading, cat shaming and The Infinite Cat Project, a website containing over 1700 images of cats gazing at each other via computer screens. But not only (although mainly) modern cats, some historical examples like The Brighton Cats or Thurston Hopkins’ photos of London Cats are also part of the exhibition.

On top of the feline stills there will be a specially commissioned publication, due out in November, and a panel discussion will be hosted by the Gallery on 4 December 2012 in which photography’s relationship to meme culture will be debated. Mmmmmmm you shouldn’t miss so many moustaches. More info here.