Colourful fibreglass balloon dog to become Old Town’s first piece of public art
The Swindog was a backup at the 2023 Big Dog Art Trail
A bold piece of public art is being unveiled in Old Town today.
Four local businesses bought the so-called Swindog from children’s hospice charity Julia's House in 2023 following the Big Dog Art Trail.
The blank sculpture has now been repainted by internationally recognised street artist Penfold and will be part of OINK Gallery’s Inner City Dreamers exhibition programme before taking up its permanent place in Old Town.
Kris Talikowski, Chair of the Old Town Business Association, said: ““Old Town would really benefit from contemporary public art, as it plays a vital role in building cultural appreciation into a community.
“We’ve seen how sculpture trails, from Wallace & Gromit in Bristol to other public art projects across the UK, have become attractions in their own right. We hope a Penfold-designed Swindog will be equally well received here and grow into a landmark for Old Town.”
In 2023, the Old Town businesses had raised £4,000 to buy one of the original Big Dog Art Trail statues, but they were all sold at an auction for Julia’s House.
So, the group decided to spend the money on the backup dog that had remained blank in case one of the statues broke.
Since then, it had remained at Charles Harding, waiting for the perfect opportunity to be painted and exhibited.
While several artists submitted designs, it was Bristol street artist Penfold’s colourful geometric shapes that were eventually chosen for the Swindog.
After its unveiling this afternoon, the Swindog will go on a tour around Old Town, visiting the four businesses that chipped in to acquire it – Domino’s, Charles Harding, Deacons and Los Gatos.
Its final destination is set to be a concrete plinth in the heart of the area that can showcase contemporary art pieces over time.
“The idea came from the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square, that's been for a few decades a place for contemporary modern art”, explained Mr Talikowski.
“The other three plinths have got lions on them, but the fourth plinth has always been reserved for something bold, creative and usually a bit controversial. They had a giant purple chicken there for a good year and it just gets people talking.
“It gets people thinking about art and how relevant and important it still is in today's world for people to not only enjoy but to inspire kids in school to get painting, to get creative and to think about how art has such a huge impact on our communities and our local areas.”
Next week, five miniature Swindogs designed by local artists will be auctioned off to raise further money for Julia’s House.