Sophie Calle pays musical tribute to her dead cat

Introducing Rakewell, Apollo’s wandering eye on the art world. Look out for regular posts taking a rakish perspective on art and museum stories

Rakewell may just have stumbled across the most esoteric art-music crossover project of the year. The venture comes courtesy of Sophie Calle, whose latest adventure is a triple-LP of songs dedicated to her deceased pet cat, Souris (the French for ‘Mouse’). ‘This album is more than a musical compilation,’ is the word from her gallery. ‘It is a complex piece of work that creates a unity in the absence.’ Souris Calle – as the record is titled – is quite the draw for pop nerds. The album’s 40 songs include musical contributions from a host of A-list rockers, most of whom have an esoteric art project or two to their names. Guest stars include REM singer-turned-art-photographer Michael Stipe, sometime Ragnar Kjartansson muses The National, St Martin’s alumnus (and latterly Bargain Hunt star) Jarvis Cocker – and Laurie Anderson, who among her many other credentials is possibly the only artist ever to have made a decent hit single.

The album also features a turn from Bono, a man with fingers in many pies, but little recorded engagement with cutting-edge conceptual art. However, the man responsible for ‘Elevation’ is said to be an avid collector of street art. According to one London dealer, who was quoted in the Irish Independent a few years ago, the U2 frontman is possessed of ‘an incredible eye’ – and he wasn’t just referring to Bono’s beloved tinted sunglasses.

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