‘WE SHELTER HERE SOMETIMES’

You may have noticed that Portsmouth street artist My Dog Sighs has been off the radar for quite a while. From early 2020 and the start of the first lockdown MDS has been working on the most creative project of his artistic life, entitled Inside. This immersive street art installation will be opened to the public from Friday 16th July to Sunday 1st August at an undisclosed location in Portsmouth.

Inside is My Dog Sighs’ most ambitious project to date, transforming a derelict building into an immersive world inhabited by the artist’s own creatures, dubbed his ‘Quiet Little Voices’. Like us, these creatures are not perfect nor are their lives perfect. They struggle, they make mistakes, they fail. But like us too, they don’t give up. Even among the decay, they use their creativity to find hope – a powerful message in these turbulent times.

…From early 2020 and the start of the first lockdown Paul Stone has been working on the most ambitious project of his artistic life, entitled ‘Inside’…

…My Dog Sighs takes these creatures, that started life as scribbled doodles in the margins of his sketchbooks and uses them to represent different facets of his life…

Street artists are often perceived as ghosts, with only the results of their endeavours visible to the world. My Dog Sighs takes these creatures, that started life as scribbled doodles in the margins of his sketchbooks and uses them to represent different facets of his life. Replacing himself with these beings as a representation of his inner ‘Quiet Little Voices’, they embody a range of emotions from playful to melancholic.  

For the first time, My Dog Sighs moves into sculpture, fusing his visual language with light and sound installations, alongside the photorealistic paintings and naive characters that define his practice. No longer is the artist the creator, but his creations take on the mantle of ‘My Dog Sighs’ and as viewers, we are welcomed ‘Inside’ the world of these ghosts.

The anthropomorphic creatures have been given free rein to take over the multi-storey space, finding shelter and creating their own language amongst the dimly lit corners. Inside responds to the building itself and finds beauty amongst its dilapidated floors and crumbling walls. The project extends My Dog Sighs’ street art practice where he uncovers the beauty of these forgotten spaces and demonstrates the power of creativity to inspire and uplift communities.

The artist has worked closely with both sound experts from Portsmouth University and a renowned creative lighting company to create a unique and immersive street art experience. 

Visitors will be welcomed into the space by trained stewards who can provide insight into the themes explored in Inside. My Dog Sighs will also be leading specialist tours for artists during the exhibition to talk more about his life as a street artist working on both sanctioned and unsanctioned projects. 

Alongside the installation, My Dog Sighs will be releasing a feature-length documentary and book about the project, as well as an educational pack designed to be used by teachers and students around the world. Taking inspiration from Inside, the pack provides young people with the creative tools needed to find hope in difficult situations and shows how they can use art to empower their local communities.  

Tickets will be available from 7pm Wednesday 9th June and announced through My Dog Sighs’ mailing list which can be subscribed to on his website www.mydogsighs.co.uk or follow him on Facebook or Instagram for more updates.

The Queens Hotel, Portsmouth is the main sponsor of Inside. 

Strong Island Media has been filming and photographing this project from day 1, really excited to finally be able to share some of the images.

… My Dog Sighs will also be leading specialist tours for artists during the exhibition to talk more about his life as a street artist…