How—and why—have all things fluffy come to saturate our world?

The Cuteness Curse

There’s a thin line between cuddly and creepy, according to a new exhibition at Somerset House in London

By Stuart Heritage

When Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the World Wide Web, was asked to name one use of the Internet that he did not anticipate, he answered with a single word: “Kittens.”

This is the story told at the entrance to the new exhibition “Cute,” running at London’s Somerset House until April 14. And to prove its point, you are almost immediately greeted with the imposing sight of what can only be described as several walls of cats. One of them, encased in glass, comprises dozens of ceramic cats, all peering out emotionlessly at the visitors.