I was once left in a car at a young age. I don’t know when or where or for how long, possibly at the age of four, perhaps outside Tesco, probably for 15 minutes only. The details don’t matter. The point is that I wondered if anyone would come back. It seems trivial now but in a child’s mind it is possible to be alone forever.

Around the same age I began to feel a deep affinity with animals – in particular their plight at the hands of humans. I remember watching TV and seeing footage of a dog being put in a plastic bag and being kicked. What appalled me most was that the dog could not speak back. Its muteness terrified me.

The images in this series explore this fear of being alone and unheard, both in relation to myself and to animals in general.

When I started this project I knew the photos would be dark. What I didn’t expect was to see so many subtle reactions by the dogs: some sad, some expectant, some angry, some dejected. It was as if upon opening up a box of coloured pencils I was surprised to see so many shades of grey inside.
Martin Usborne

http://www.martinusborne.com

MUTE: The Silence of Dogs in Cars will be exhibited at the PrintSpace Gallery
from 22 October – 9 November 2010.
The PrintSpace
74 Kingsland Road
E2 8DL

http://www.theprintspace.co.uk