extracts from work books

The proposed new work Show Ring, a 4-channel floor-standing video installation, will re-stage a dog show from the judge’s perspective using translucent screens, tight crops, and animated fur landscapes, foregrounding the movement of the dogs, and the interrelationship of human and animal bodies. 

Longhurst plans to work with synchronised hi-speed cameras, and elite show dogs, to create a visual merry-go-round. The work will showcase the colour, pattern and peak condition of the dogs’ coats, drawing attention to the variation and difference within this pure breed. Moving image will be edited and juxtaposed to create texture, pattern and repetition — an immersive, meditative, experience. A custom soundscape will be used to further add atmosphere.

The work will be a counterpart to Private View, a 4-channel work using archive footage of an infirm pet whippet.