POP Dogs

POP Dogs was, after being postponed a couple of times due to bad weather, finally held in Victoria Park last month, providing a fun day out for both dogs and their owners.

The day was organised by artists Olivia Young and Paris Kirby as a day to celebrate having dogs in public spaces. Owners were encouraged to bring their pets along for a free professional photograph and, if needed, a check-up from an onsite vet. For humans, food was available from the Elsie food truck selling coffees, cheese and date scones and a large selection of sweet and savoury croissants.

“POP Dogs was a community-inclusive event to celebrate the dogs of Auckland,” says Olivia. “We wanted to capture the ‘fourth’ family member in an innovative, new way via photographing dogs in the park. It’s also a nice way to give back to the community.”

More than 500 people came to Victoria Park to have their pets photographed throughout the morning, making the event a huge success. “It was a fantastic day out for the community and we hope to continue sharing these dog events around Auckland,” says Olivia.

POP is funded by the Waitemata Board and is all about art activation around Auckland city. A particularly popular project is the table tennis tables that appear in public spaces around Auckland, available free 24/7 for anybody who fancies a game.

“POP is designed to explore creative and innovative ways of engaging people, and POP Dogs aimed to achieve surprise and delight, art in a public space, and encouraging Aucklanders to connect with each other in new and unexpected ways.” Said Olivia.

As well as organising this event, Olivia runs an arts consultancy called The Maple, where she manages and promotes bands, artists, place-making projects and art-related activations around New Zealand and further afield.

“Arts and artists come first in my world, so I look after the paperwork and organisational guff to help them do what they do best.” (GEORGE SHIERS)