Abstract
Humans have been sharing their homes with cats for a very long time, and generally, we cohabitate very well, but sometimes our needs or desires for living spaces don’t completely line up with those of our feline companions. With my ceramic furniture, I strive to value cats and humans equally in my designs and create pieces that allow the needs of both species to be met harmoniously. Unlike typical cat furniture, my pieces are also easy to clean and don’t use materials that some people find unattractive like carpet, cardboard, or rope.
When I first proposed this project, I knew that I wanted to make an unconventional kind of functional ceramics. I had goals in mind, like minimizing environmental impact and combining different forms of craft, but I was lacking a specific focus beyond that. Adding the goal of meeting the needs of both cats and humans in my work gave me an exciting challenge. I pulled inspiration from fostering cats and kittens, as well as traditional pottery techniques and surfaces to create these furniture pieces.
Artist Statement
How can we create harmony with the cats who share our homes? Although we can’t communicate with words, how we shape our shared environment can go a long way toward making our cats feel safe, comfortable, and respected in our homes. I want my items to be appealing to cats and people and perform unique functions for each. Through my experience fostering cats and kittens, I’ve learned a lot about what our feline companions want and need in a space. I’ve created the kinds of pieces that we tend to have in our homes like tables and shelves and modified their designs to offer safe spaces for cats.
Material choice and craft are important to this work. I avoid materials commonly used in cat furniture, like carpet and rope, which are hard to clean and some people find unappealing. Instead, I use wheel-thrown ceramics, paired with wood and fabric. This has allowed me to find a different way of thinking about and making functional ceramics outside of traditional pottery, and to combine multiple disciplines of craft into something exciting and new.