Some of music’s most recognisable names have teamed up for a bittersweet project which pays tribute to the deceased cat of French artist Sophie Calle.
Back in 2014, Sophie Calle’s cat Souris passed away, with the artist turning to her work as a means to cope with the loss. In an interview with Artnet earlier this year, Calle explained how she was working on a tribute to Souris, which would premiere as part of a solo exhibition at Paris’ Perrotin gallery this month.
“When you say you’re sad about the cat, it’s a bit obscene for people,” she explained. “You can’t say that. I mean, if I say my mother or my father is dead, everyone tells me ‘Oh, poor thing, she lost her mother, oh, poor thing, she lost her father,’ but if we say that about our cat, we seem ridiculous.”
“It makes me laugh, when for me, in my daily life, it was almost more violent, because I lived with my cat. I didn’t live with my parents.”
Now, as Artnet notes, one of the projects from Sophie Calle’s exhibition is available for listening.
After sending through photographs and descriptions of her late cat to a number of artists, Sophie Calle received musical tributes to Souris from the likes of Pharrell Williams, The National, Bono, Michael Stipe, Jarvis Cocker, and much more.
You won’t find any tunes like Grinspoon’s ‘DCX3’ on here, or cuts from Miley Cyrus & Her Dead Petz, rather this is a much more sombre affair that features Bono sharing a spoken-word, voicemail message, while The National and Laurie Anderson offer heartfelt tracks that relate to the morbid theme of the record.
Also featuring on this project are artists such as Jean-Michel Jarre, Casey Spooner, and The Strokes’ Fabrizio Moretti, meaning that it’s a incredibly varied assortment of tributes on display. As Calle noted to Artnet, or the 37 artists on the release, only about ten knew Souris personally.
If you’re keen on picking up a copy of the album, there are vinyl editions available through the Perrotin gallery’s website. If the record’s theme is a bit too upsetting to keep around the house, you can also give it a spin via streaming services like Spotify.
Check out Sophie Calle’s Souris Calle:
