Together Through Thick and Thin from Not Without My Dog, 2011wood, hardwaredimensions variable
Treasury of Smells from Not Without My Dog, 2011wood, aluminum, hardware, cement106 x 93½ x 88¾ inches
Laumeier Sculpture Park Commission, with funds from the Mark Twain Laumeier Endowment Fund and Purina
Tea Mäkipää has created a series of sculptures that highlight the senses dogs use to read the landscape—whether by sight, sound or smell. Through each of these “stations”—a doghouse town, a treasure-filled compost pile, a self-guided walking tour, a karaoke machine, fly-away toys and a human canine bridge—Mäkipää allows dogs to lead their companions down Laumeier’s Art Hike Trail, reversing the hierarchy imposed upon them in our human-centric world.
This work was commissioned for Laumeier’s summer 2011 exhibition, Dog Days of Summer, which paired contemporary and historical artworks to examine Western culture’s changing perceptions of dogs. More than 20% of Laumeier’s two-legged visitors bring their canine companions along to the Park, and this work honors the various ways in which dogs represent industrialization, land rights, immigration, agribusiness, genetics, gender, class, entertainment and the human struggle to survive.
Sculpture Interaction Guideline: Play With Care
Tea Mäkipää was born in Lahti, Finland, and now lives and works in Wiemar, Germany. She earned her B.F.A. from the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki, and her M.F.A. from the Royal College of Art, London. In Mäkipää’s artworks, humans are treated as unique animal species, with a lens tightly focused on their habits and habitations. Her works take shape in a variety of media, including fantastical photo landscapes, video documents and built structures. Recent installations include the Berlinische Galerie, Germany; Halle 14, Leipzig, Germany; VTT Technical Research Center of the State of Finland, Espoo; the Künstlervereinigung MAERZ, Linz, Austria; and Stiftung Ludwig Forum, Aachen, Germany. Mäkipää’s works are in the collections of the Helsinki City Art Museum; the Museum of Contemporary Art, Kiasma, Helsinki; the Akademie Schloss Solitude, Stuttgart, Germany; and the Sammlung Federkiel, Leipzig, Germany.