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Karin Frank :
Hainfeld Regional Senior Citizens and Care Home

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Hainfeld, 2007
Bräuhausgasse 13a, 3170 Hainfeld

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The sculptor Karin Frank has erected a painted wooden sculpture in the cafeteria of the home as a kind of monument to the most popular of pets. An oversized tabby cat balances on a red ball in its typical concentrated crouch position before pouncing onto prey.

It is no coincidence that cats are among the most popular pets. Like people, they easily develop particular quirks and habits of their own. They communicate with their owners by meowing and purring as well as with their body language, and can become important conversation partners in a person's life. Accordingly, since the 1990s cats have been a key element in animal-supported therapy at homes for the elderly and at psychiatric or geriatric care facilities. The sculptress Karin Frank has built a kind of memorial to the pet in the cafeteria of the Hainfeld residence and care home for the elderly. An oversized ginger cat balances on a red ball. Its bearing implies complete concentration. With an erect tail and fixed gaze it appears to be focused on an imaginary quarry. This moment, when calm and tension combine, is reflected in the working and painting of the wood. Like a sketch, captured with just a few lines it remains secure, and worked out of the wood with precision, the sculpture conveys a fascinating sense of vigour.
(Katrina Petter)