Dog Ballet

In 2021 I was commissioned by LIFT Festival to document Dog Ballet: A sound celebration of London’s dogs and their owners.

Dog Ballet celebrated the community around the dogs and dog owners of London, and the joy and tenderness that can be found in these relationships of mutual care.

Dog Ballet itself was an aural experience: recorded conversations with dog owners were mixed with the profoundly beautiful music of composer Lewis Gibson, to create Dog Ballet, a soundscape to watch dogs play by. Dog Ballet was made available for free online for anyone to listen to in their own local park to transform the everyday act of dog walking into something poetic and playful. 

Dog Ballet launched with an in-person collective listening experience in the Queen Elizabeth Park as part of LIFT’s LIFT LOVES LONDON summer season of art to recharge the city and renew your London, and Artsadmin’s What Shall We Build Here festival of art, climate and community. The event included dog minigolf and a listening party.

a series of interviews with dog owners made by artists Nigel Barrett and Louise Mari, set to a beautiful score created by Lewis Gibson