The Katholik Kingdom
09-06-2004, 20:55
I believe their introduction says it best:
Introduction
For centuries, people in the West have marveled at the delicate beauty produced by Oriental artists and sculptors. From gardening to tattooing to dance and martial arts, these craftsmen have enthralled us with complex forms and simplistic perfection. One of the most fascinating of the visual techniques to emerge from this highly cultured region is the Oriental art of miniature sculpture. Who has not been stricken with the expressive grace of Japanese Bonsai? Though once the sole province of Bonsai masters within Japan, Bonsai plants have been available to fortunate consumers throughout the world for some time. With this in mind, we are proud to now offer to you the animal complement of this art form; the Bonsai Kitten.
Central Principles
A bonsai plant, along with its more widely encountered counterpart the topiary garden, achieves its miniature yet mature form through a long and delicate process of trimming during the formative years of the tree. It is not possible to trim a kitten! However, fortunately the Oriental artists of yore were also expert in the modification of animal forms. Both foot-binding and head-binding were practiced in the Far East, for the purpose of miniaturizing the feet and shaping the head into attractive shapes. This technique is also the principle behind the well-known corset, which is regaining popularity in recent years. By physically constraining the growth of a developing living thing, it can be directed to take the shape of the vessel that constrains it. Just as a topiary gardener produces bushes that take the forms of animals or any other thing, you no longer need be satisfied with a housepet having the same mundane shape as all other members of its species. With Bonsai Kitten, a world of variation awaits you, limited only by your own imagination.
For their website, click here (http://www.bonsaikitten.com)!
Note: IT'S A JOKE
I thought it was quite funny and clever. It satirizes how we are commercializing nature. For those who don't believe it isn't a hoax, it is debunked here (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.museumofhoaxes.com/pranks/images/bonsai3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/pranks/bonsai.html&h=144&w=192&sz=4&tbnid=NC_hIDPkfd0J:&tbnh=73&tbnw=97&start=7&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBonsai%2BKitten%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8). Thoughts? Comments? Flames?
Introduction
For centuries, people in the West have marveled at the delicate beauty produced by Oriental artists and sculptors. From gardening to tattooing to dance and martial arts, these craftsmen have enthralled us with complex forms and simplistic perfection. One of the most fascinating of the visual techniques to emerge from this highly cultured region is the Oriental art of miniature sculpture. Who has not been stricken with the expressive grace of Japanese Bonsai? Though once the sole province of Bonsai masters within Japan, Bonsai plants have been available to fortunate consumers throughout the world for some time. With this in mind, we are proud to now offer to you the animal complement of this art form; the Bonsai Kitten.
Central Principles
A bonsai plant, along with its more widely encountered counterpart the topiary garden, achieves its miniature yet mature form through a long and delicate process of trimming during the formative years of the tree. It is not possible to trim a kitten! However, fortunately the Oriental artists of yore were also expert in the modification of animal forms. Both foot-binding and head-binding were practiced in the Far East, for the purpose of miniaturizing the feet and shaping the head into attractive shapes. This technique is also the principle behind the well-known corset, which is regaining popularity in recent years. By physically constraining the growth of a developing living thing, it can be directed to take the shape of the vessel that constrains it. Just as a topiary gardener produces bushes that take the forms of animals or any other thing, you no longer need be satisfied with a housepet having the same mundane shape as all other members of its species. With Bonsai Kitten, a world of variation awaits you, limited only by your own imagination.
For their website, click here (http://www.bonsaikitten.com)!
Note: IT'S A JOKE
I thought it was quite funny and clever. It satirizes how we are commercializing nature. For those who don't believe it isn't a hoax, it is debunked here (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=www.museumofhoaxes.com/pranks/images/bonsai3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/pranks/bonsai.html&h=144&w=192&sz=4&tbnid=NC_hIDPkfd0J:&tbnh=73&tbnw=97&start=7&prev=/images%3Fq%3DBonsai%2BKitten%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26ie%3DUTF-8). Thoughts? Comments? Flames?