Exhibitions, United States, New York City, 08 June 2013
The artist confronts this important issue by exposing viewers to the psychological cycle of craving, consumption and abandonment that happens when an object of desire becomes unwanted.
“Today, more dogs are bred throughout the world than can be properly cared for, the consequences are difficult to ignore,” says the artist, Carlo Sampietro.
Italian-born Sampietro presents PopDogs, a giant popcorn machine that appears to spew out toy dogs at an alarming rate, to mimic the birth rate of real dogs worldwide. As visitors arrive they are confronted with a cascade of toys spilling out of the PopDogs machine and onto the floor, and viewers cannot help but connect this absurd spectacle to the millions of domestic animals that come into the world and are subsequently abandoned, ignored or destroyed—the sheer volume is clearly unsustainable.
The installation is 14 feet high and contains 1,000 dogs, Four large pop-dogs boxes surround the main machine, representing overpopulation in three other world cities. The installation also includes an interactive area where kids can paint dog toys and learn about the responsibilities of dog ownership.
Later this year PopDogs will make a second appearance, when experts in the fields of city management, dog breeding and care, state-run animal shelters and animal advocacy organizations will be invited to participate in a public forum. This forum is intended to function as a conversation starter—a judgment-free and informative environment in which viable solutions to NYC’s dog overpopulation issues can be discussed. For more info, visit www.popdogs.org.
Sampietro’s goal is to add multimedia elements and exhibit PopDogs in New York, Paris, Shanghai and Rio de Janeiro, all cities in which dog overpopulation has caused unique sets of challenges and dilemmas.
http://popdogs.org
“Today, more dogs are bred throughout the world than can be properly cared for, the consequences are difficult to ignore,” says the artist, Carlo Sampietro.
Italian-born Sampietro presents PopDogs, a giant popcorn machine that appears to spew out toy dogs at an alarming rate, to mimic the birth rate of real dogs worldwide. As visitors arrive they are confronted with a cascade of toys spilling out of the PopDogs machine and onto the floor, and viewers cannot help but connect this absurd spectacle to the millions of domestic animals that come into the world and are subsequently abandoned, ignored or destroyed—the sheer volume is clearly unsustainable.
The installation is 14 feet high and contains 1,000 dogs, Four large pop-dogs boxes surround the main machine, representing overpopulation in three other world cities. The installation also includes an interactive area where kids can paint dog toys and learn about the responsibilities of dog ownership.
Later this year PopDogs will make a second appearance, when experts in the fields of city management, dog breeding and care, state-run animal shelters and animal advocacy organizations will be invited to participate in a public forum. This forum is intended to function as a conversation starter—a judgment-free and informative environment in which viable solutions to NYC’s dog overpopulation issues can be discussed. For more info, visit www.popdogs.org.
Sampietro’s goal is to add multimedia elements and exhibit PopDogs in New York, Paris, Shanghai and Rio de Janeiro, all cities in which dog overpopulation has caused unique sets of challenges and dilemmas.
http://popdogs.org
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