DOGS GODS is comprised of two opposing sides. The left is a series of images, taken by Oliver, the right is an ekphratic response to the images, the words taking on a stream of conscious rumination on the dualities of organised religion and canine ownership. As a book, the reading experience ricochets between image and text as the reader subconsciously shakes their head from left to right.
The poem is heavily steeped in word play and linguistic trickery, and thematically flirts with ideas of subservience, obedience, ownership, and a constant yearning for approval and belonging. Initially the first version of DOGS GODS was ‘performed’ by the artist, both sides being turned simultaneously, read like a sermon from a podium.
