Animal Armor: a new art form?

"QUANTUM SHOT" #69


1. Cat-and-Mouse Warfare Equipment



Jeff De Boer is a Calgary-born artist with the fully unique approach to sculpture and design. His fusion of industrial and whimsical styles is most evident in the "Armor for Cats and Mice" series showcased on his web site. For those of you who pitied cats in their increasingly violent struggle against mice (witness "Tom & Jerry" cartoons), now you can add an extra layer of protection for both parties.
Here is a tournament cat:




... and a gladiator mouse:

Copper Conquistador style:


Jeff admits that he has not yet put a mouse into a suit of armour. He did, however, try it with one of his cats. "I have the scars to prove it", he admits in one interview, "Yes, it can be done, but that's not the point."

And on a side note, Jeff De Boer also creates very attractive "steampunk"-ish ray-guns:


weird helmets:


and larger installations, like the flying train sculptures in Calgary's Chinook Mall:


2. Lilith Eberle's Animal Armor series

Jeff de Boer is not the only one making custom embellishments for animals. Lilith Eberle has a few more on her web site. She creates metal armor for
...birds:


...coons:

...possums:



3. Animals already have a superior armor

It goes both ways: animals are "teaching" us a thing or two about armor, too. The recent National Geographic article detailing how microscopic studies (see "the mother of pearl" shell lining picture below, for example) can help in developing the next generation of lighter, tougher body armor.


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