The Dog Project

The Dog Project
August 2, 2014 Tom

The Dog project was a project that started on Cape Clear and Island in West Cork with collaborative making of a dog .We had newspaper ,string ,cardboard and some masking tape. Our glue was flour and boiling water a technique I learned in Bologna. The dog we made was a bit of a mutt and as he dried that evening by the fire he slumped by the fire.(Papier mache has the tendency to be affected by gravity until dry) When I went home I met quite a few people who really liked the dog , and the idea came to make 100 dogs for a street instillation. After working briefly in my studio we found the way to make a good armature, Steve we used willow and wire ,rolled up in newspaper. See link to the film dogmation for a stop motion animation that shows the making process of a dog. With the help of Bertrand Perennes we twice secured a place to work. In total there have been over 300 dogs made , the making was done , as an open workshop where people were free to come and work when they wanted. In total we worked with over 400 people. Upon finishing the dogs we took them on a walk round the city and installed them in different position, on the street. The completion of the work was when we exhibited and sold the dogs, people who had work allot on the dogs were given a choice of a dog. From the sales we made a donation to humanitarian aid for Palestine. The dog project is ongoing