The Saltaire Cat Map is a project by artists Andy Abbott and Yvonne Carmichael who lived in Saltaire in 2010. The Cat Map project was inspired by the village’s considerable cat population that prompted one-time resident Maureen Ratcliffe to write in her personal notes:
They say you can tell a lot about a person by their pets, but what about an entire village? I believe cats to be a most interesting reflection of the community that ‘keeps’ them; in the most part because cats more than any other domestic animal challenge the idea of being kept.
On my wanders around Saltaire I see cats more regularly than I do my fellow neighbours. Many are keen to come and talk to me, or indulge in some mutually beneficial fussing. Yet I know little or nothing of their owners. One could speculate on the matter of a cat’s origin by the street from he emerges each day. Some even seem to be particularly attached to a specific back yard. But this could be due to the manner in which that spot catches the afternoon sun as much as the relationship the cat has with the residents of the house.
One cannot ignore the increasingly private lives we lead, especially in a village like Saltaire that seems to better fit the description ‘commuter town’ with each year that passes. Yet, apparently oblivious to - and perhaps in spite of - this transformation, the cats of Saltaire remain quite public, occupying the common spaces and providing a connecting thread between our separate existences. Maybe there is something to be learned from our cats? They certainly appear happy! I believe that close observation will be the key to translating their wisdom. We must watch, listen and learn!
Maureen Ratcliffe (date unknown)
Consequently Yvonne and Andy embarked on an intensive period of cat observation in the village by means of a series of ‘Cat Walks’ conducted three times a day. The results of this research are archived in this website and were displayed as part of the exhibition for the Saltaire Arts Trail.
You can also download a Cat Spotters Guide and undertake the Cat Walk yourself. Completed Spotters’ Guides and any photographs can be emailed to saltairecatmap@yahoo.com to be uploaded to the gallery.
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Andy Abbott and Yvonne Carmichael are independent artists, writers, educators and curators and members of the art collective Black Dogs. Past work includes the ‘Your Arms!’ research and exchange project that uncovered links between Saltaire and the Italian textiles town Biella, guided walks around the Holbeck area of Leeds, and building a pub in Tate Modern for the No Soul For Sale festival of independent not-for-profit art.
www.yvonnecarmichael.com, www.andyabbott.co.uk, www.black-dogs.org
