TYGER

The TYGER Allegory

“Tyger, tyger, burning bright.”

TYGER draws inspiration from William Blake’s poem, ‘The Tyger’. The stanzas marvels at the creation of a tiger, conveying the striking coat, bright eyes and elusive form inciting spiritual wonder of its creator. These majestic creatures embody a transgressive yet divine spirit and remains to be an enigma of the world.

Yet, the mysterious beauty and splendour of the tiger caused great many in captivity, attributing to the reduction in population.

Presently, three out of eight tiger subspecies are now extinct. The remaining subspecies include the Bengal, Indo-Chinese, South China, Amur, and Sumatran tigers. The artwork illustrates two declining species, the South China and the Sumatran tigers. The tigers are designed as a ‘translation’ tessellation technique, each identical shape is repeated, fitting snugly into a pattern. However, the details on these shapes distinctly feature both critically endangered tigers’ species.

The iconic South China Tiger is coloured in a mixture of reddish orange, almost yellow, around most of the body and white around the legs, chest, and parts of the face. The coat closely resembles the hue of the fur in existence, with distinctive black stripes to maintain camouflage while moving in dense foliage. Like domestic cat behaviours, the functionally extinct South China tiger is drawn stretching its body, with its vivid pelt in full glory.

The Sumatran Tiger however has the darkest orange coat of all tigers, with narrower stripes, better allowing it to blend into its tropical rainforest habitat. It is drawn in a typical crouching stance of hunting and vocalizations to signify its emotional state including fear, anxiety, dominance and submission.

The tessellation frames the tigers seemingly in a playful tumble, curiously connected by the limbs, tail, or body. The TYGERS are produced in an overprinting technique with a unique mix of special 'Orange' to mimic the brilliant fur. These burst of bright oranges harkens to Blake's poem about its vivid pelt ‘burning bright.’ Much like the patterns being endless tiger imagery, we are always hopeful to keep preserving the remaining tiger species through conservation programs.

In solidarity of wildlife conservation awareness, the TYGER envelopes prioritise the use of sustainable sources such as Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified papers and eco-friendly packaging material to support ease of recycling efforts.

We hope your part in this environmentally-conscious act may bring joy, albeit a small one :^)