Rebekah Robinson
This is a series of images resulting from an investigation into the aspects of care given to the domestic pet. I am interested in the spaces and sites where these anthropomorphic practices are carried out. At first glance one could assume that the spaces are for the treatment of people, but closer inspection in some of the images reveals the true nature of the site’s purpose – animals. However some of the interiors give nothing away (e.g. ‘Surgical Suite’ and ‘Crematorium’), for these spaces are identical to the ones that deal with humans.
The absence of humans or animals in the work creates a sense of possibility. In some images there is an ambiguity and the viewer is left to ponder the purpose of the space.
Our relationship to domestic animals has a long and varied history; currently domestic pets have reached a status almost equal to children. Some people opt to have pets rather than children and these pets become substitute children in the family.
As we advance as a society our choice of lifestyle and consumer products expands. No longer are we just surviving, we are consuming at a rapid rate. In our society with surplus cash and more leisure time available the ways in which we choose to spend our money has flourished in some unlikely avenues, such as dog daycare centers. Even in death private cremations, funeral services and burial in ‘pet cemeteries’ are available to the family of the beloved pet. In the United States the pet industry is even more radical than in New Zealand but we are catching up in terms of what we are now offering the consumer.
All of the images were shot on a 5×4 camera. Large format photography offers high quality detail, which lends itself well to this series.
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© Rebekah Robinson