British inventor and artist Dominic Wilcox seems to think so, because he has created the world’s first interactive art exhibit for dogs. It was commissioned by insurance company More Than to encourage dog owners to spend more time with their pets.
The pieces at the Play More campaign exhibit stimulate a dog’s right brain with imaginative eye-level paintings that are specifically tailored for a dogs’ sense of color and visual appeal. In addition to helping keep their minds sharp, dogs can satisfy their doggie fantasies with paintings of mouth-watering chicken legs or virtual frisbees flying across a TV screen.
The interactive section of the exhibit also focuses on the physical health of dogs. Wilcox created a 10-feet-wide dog bowl shaped pit filled with brown, plastic balls resembling dog food. The artist also invented a dynamic fountain system that squirts water from one dog bowl to another, allowing dogs to get a drink, or get soaked. And if they need to dry off after their water park run, they can even go for a virtual drive in the open-window simulator!
"Contemporary art has long been an important source of inspiration and fascination for humans, but never before has it been created with a view to drawing the same kind of emotions out of animals instead," said Wilcox.
The art show has been a big hit with pooches and their owners, which is exactly what the Play More campaign had set out to do. Humans and pets are getting together not just to appreciate and enjoy art, but to have fun playing.
Now if you're thinking of a permanent art show for your dog, try hanging fine art at your dog's-eye-level near his or her food bowl. Your dog's private art collection could include larger-than-life portraits of dogs; fire-hydrant-centric landscapes or even still life images of dog food from the 'Art for Arf' collection. Just follow your creative nose to art4arf.com.
