If you live in Pompey, you’ve seen My Dog Sighs’ street art (unless you’re my mum, who wasn’t quite sure). Often featuring a rectangled man on a colourful background, or a large pair of beautiful eyes. The place I’ve most often passed it is on Albert road, next to the Sainsbury’s, on boards covering up a place called “The French.”
When I heard that My Dog Sighs (human name Paul Stone) was doing an exhibition, I thought oh that might be interesting…It was. So. Fucking. Good.
INSIDE is My Dog Sighs' most ambitious project to date, spending over a year transforming a derelict building into an immersive world inhabited by his ‘Quiet Little Voices’.
For the first time My Dog Sighs has moved into sculpture, fusing his visual language with space, form, light and sound, alongside the more recognisable facets that define his practice.[1]
The Old Casino, Osborne Road, Southsea PO5 3LT. 17 July - 1 Aug 2021
When you go to an exhibition/art show/whatever it’s called, often it’s a white cube with pictures placed PERFECTLY STRAIGHT so that you can almost stand in the middle and rotate, having seen the whole thing in thirty seconds. Unless you’re proper into it and get up close, trying to read all the captions and getting a headache.
This wasn’t like that.
I knew it would be immersive, but there was nothing false, or try-hard about the way My Dog Sighs had made the space into his “new, alternative world.” It was literally like stepping into the artist’s mind.
As soon as I walked in the old casino, I could smell the damp, see the ripped wallpaper and disintegrating plaster and hear echoes of what was to come. I thought this is the real deal – it was like being led into a very secret, once glamourous cave, with post-apocalyptic vibes. I followed everyone upstairs (we’d waited for an hour for walk up tickets and were absolutely gagging for it) towards the once ballroom.
Music and lights hit me as I entered, and I was so excited I didn’t know what to look at first. I tried to calm down and take it all in. I was met by some enormous sculptures on a swing, creatures with round moonish heads. The boarded-up windows were spray painted with big-brother eyes. Families of sculptures, some like sheep or stags, all with huge round heads and eyes, and lots made from cans – the artist’s signature. Some formed of half-statues and lampshades, and I craned my neck to take in an entire intricate tower built from scrap with a god-like creature at the spire. These anthropomorphic creatures, finding shelter in any dilapidated corner of the building, embody My Dog Sighs’ inner “quiet little voices”. The creatures are like us, imperfect, but they don’t give up, finding beauty among the decay, and represent emotions from melancholy to joy.
There was so much to look at in the ballroom. A tunnel/nest-like construction housed hanging stars and faces encased in structures akin to bohemian wasp nests. At the far end stood a rotating couple, on the old, mirrored stage (where a grand piano used to be played back in the day) and a jester in the corner all grounded by an absolute tonne of cans. I couldn’t stop looking at a sad creature with a thundery cloud over its head near the far door.
I walked down concrete steps, covered in a trail of paint, towards more once-glamorous rooms (the casino had a past life as a Playboy Club in the 70s) full of paintings and sculptures. Then came a maze of re-used doors and paste-ups. It hit me how much work went into this, one corner of the maze was decorated fiercely with chalk graffiti that looked like it had been done over years and years.
Just before the exit, a room absolutely unleashed to graffiti. This used to be Shakes Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant. Walking through the show, I was led into multiple diverse areas of the same world, at times a little bit scary. I’m still in awe about how much work went into this 18-month project – photorealistic and naïve paintings, paste-ups, collage, sculptures in all sizes, as well as the sound and lighting. The gigantic task of making the building accessible (including evicting gaggles of pigeons) and the work My Dog Sighs did with schools and the community, setting aside 1000 tickets so as many people could see INSIDE as possible.
I’ve tried to write a description of what I saw, but I can’t do it justice. If you didn’t get to see the show, there is a video walk through with the artist of the ballroom here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VK9qLrRnbPM&t=93s
I have to mention the bar that the merchandise was being sold in which was gorgeous. Or at least used to be. Entirely pink, ceilings and all, with golden mouldings and a pink marble effect bar. If this was restored, gals would flock to get a picture of themselves and their Pornstar Martini for the ‘gram. And if it remains derelict (the current owner is the bloke who owns next door gaff, The Queen’s Hotel) the ballroom would make a great illegal rave venue. (Hmu if you want more ideas.)
I’m so grateful I got INSIDE, it was pure gold, well worth the hour wait, and I was a bit hungover as well.
@mydogsighs
mydogsighs.co.uk
Sources:
[1] Mydogsighs.co.uk
A beautiful account of an amazing experience which I still feel emotional about now.