John McVey Posted February 3, 2008 Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 (edited) A new sculpture, called The Loaded Dog, was unveiled yesterday outside the Whyalla Veterinary Clinic. It was inspired by the titular animal of the short story by Henry Lawson. It is a mesh-shell made of lengths of quarter-inch thick steel rods, standing about five feet high. The three holes in the baseplate are for lights. The object in its mouth is not a leash but a big home-made explosive with a six-foot fuse intended to go fishing with by its makers, hence the title of the piece and the story. It is quite well done! There are other sculptures in town that are just UGH. For instance, at Flinders Freycinet Lookout there are statues of Matthew Flinders and Louis-Claude de Freycinet that look as though the pair have been hit by some dessicator ray. When I first heard about The Loaded Dog I wondered if it would be some awful modern-art monstrosity, but I was pleasantly surprised. The Loaded Dog actually follows the form of a retriever properly, without exaggeration or any other grotesque 'arty' affectations: if the gaps were filled in and painted, it would look just like a real dog. Lawson's story is itself a laugh. A summary is on a panel on the clinic front wall: The vet takes green issues seriously, hence the blurb at the bottom and who unveiled it. The story and the dog, however, have nothing to do with green issues and can be enjoyed without worrying about them. JJM Edited February 3, 2008 by John McVey Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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