Cats & Words - Wilma Cruise

We have often shut our ears to the primal sounds of animals—their rumbles, hisses, and purrs.

A profound moment in French philosopher Jacques Derrida's exploration of "The Animal That Therefore I Am" occurred during an encounter with his cat in the shower. Seeing him naked, her inscrutable gaze made Derrida feel uncomfortable and ashamed. In her eyes, he saw the reflection of God. He pondered, “I hear the cat or God ask itself, ask me: Is he going to call me, is he going to address me?” This silent inquiry led Derrida to a revelation: “The animal looks at us, and we are naked before it. I am the animal that my cat sees” (Derrida 2008:118). This moment challenged the traditional human privilege of being the observer, suggesting that animals too can contemplate us, reversing the roles of observer and observed.

Derrida’s philosophical reflection was grounded in a tangible experience: his interaction with his own cat, not an abstract symbol. He emphasised this, stating, “If I say, ‘it is a real cat’ that sees me naked, this is in order to mark its unsubstitutable singularity” (Derrida 2008:9).

Beyond philosophical considerations, cats are playful beings, as any cat lover knows. This playful nature is what I sought to capture with a collection of cats scampering around the delicatessen at Tokara. These cats were cloned from three prototypes made from different materials: Boxed from cardboard, Brillo from steel wool, and Scribble, the cat (the comma matters), from clay. They were then cast into bronze and variously patinated.

This playfulness transcends language and symbolism, recognising emotion in the other. Here, both the observed and the observer connect beyond the limits of words.