This whole idea of exploring selectively breeding to exceptional standards - Perfection, is really interesting, to me the images are an investigation of physical attributes and theres a feeling of pride, in that the owner has nurtured and produced their own living perfection. There is of course the question of who decides what is perfect and why are certain attributes seen to be so?
" 'I tied fishing twine round her neck and attached it to a rod held by her breeder' "
" This looks simple, but it was very hard to do. In 2001, I was particularly interested in perfection and breeding, so I asked some of the best whippet kennels in Britain to bring their dogs to me so I could photograph them in show pose. Breeders, after all, spend a long time poring over pedigrees and conducting overtly eugenic practices.
The convoluted process of getting the dogs opened my eyes to the world of dog-showing and the kind of things that go on.
I also had to build a large table, and then fix up a paper roll coming down over it for the dogs to pose on.
In a show, the breeder would stand behind the dog holding a small leather lead. Here, I used a piece of fishing twine around the dog's neck to mimic the feel of the lead: when they feel it, they know they're in show mode and have to stand properly. Then I attached the twine to a long metal pole and had the breeder stand off to the side on a bench, holding it like a fishing rod. "
"This bitch, Darquell Silver Dollar of Shoalingham, known as Lily, was the very last of the group. As I was shooting her, she stepped out of line. A small defiant act, I suppose - not conforming to the situation. But the image stayed in my head. The dog takes this very small step - possibly a very futile step, because it's got the lead round its neck and is completely under our control. But I liked the idea that she still had a mind of her own."
Source - The Guardian (http://arts.guardian.co.uk/graphic/0,,2262610,00.html)
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