Eilidh Gorton

‘Wet Dog'(2026) is a collection of ceramic tile panels and steel spotlight lamps. Images and forms on the tile panels depict aspects of two of humanity’s most pivotal relationships – with water, and with dogs. The hand basin and imposing doberman dogs of ‘Guard us’ show both dogs and water as protective agents – dogs can be used to protect from intruders, and hand washing protects us from disease. In many religious practices, cleansing with water is seen as a form of spiritual protection. ‘The unicorn who would fix everything, if we could only catch him’ borrows imagery from ‘The Unicorn Tapestries’ – a set of early 16th century Dutch tapestries depicting the hunt for a unicorn. This scene demonstrates the use dogs for hunting, and water for drinking, as well as water’s role as a carrier of disease. Unicorns were believed by some to be capable of purifying water, and so were highly sought after in Medieval Europe. My own dog can be seen in both ‘Shug, safe from the rain’ and ‘Shug, safe in his boat’. Above the water butt (for when water is scarce) in ‘Shug, safe from the rain’, he can be seen wearing a raincoat (for when water is in abundance). In ‘Shug, safe in his boat’, he is shown travelling in a boat, wearing a life jacket. The layout of the image in this panel is borrowed from children’s TV show ‘In the Night Garden’.