Aussie dogs go barking mad for a little mutt music
The glittering sails of the Sydney Opera House went to the dogs on
Saturday as hundreds of pugs, poodles and pooches converged on the
iconic landmark for a world-first concert for canines.
Brainchild of New York performance artist Laurie Anderson, “Music For
Dogs” was a surreal hash of slide whistles, synthesiser, strings and
saxophone which —
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A dog at Sydney Opera House |
while inaudible to humans — sent its four-legged patrons into a
frenzy. The 20-minute concert kicked off with a mellow set featuring
whale calls and soothing white noise, before moving through a rhythm and
beat section to a discordant crescendo almost drowned out by hundreds of
barks and howls.
“We’ve got some singing dogs down here in the mosh pit!” joked
Anderson, who led the four-piece band with a variety of instruments
including slide whistle, violin and synthesiser.
Almost 1,000 dog-lovers packed onto the Opera House steps and
forecourt to treat their pets to the free outdoor event, part of the
Vivid LIVE arts festival curated by Anderson and rock legend partner Lou
Reed.
Anderson and her band used high-frequency sounds inaudible to humans
to appeal to the dogs’ super-sensitive ears, eliciting excited leaping
from some creatures and a cacophony of yelps and yowls. She credited the
exuberant canines for the dazzling sunshine that bathed Sydney for the
morning’s festivities — the first reprieve in almost three weeks from
torrential rain.
“I think the dogs brought on this weather. They don’t want to sit
freezing in the rain, they want to have a little sun on their fur,” she
laughed.
“It was good dog vibes.” There were plenty of water bowls and dog
waste bags on hand in case of overexcited pooches needing a drink or
toilet break, and Opera House staff circulated with spare leashes in
case of a rogue escape.
Anderson said she mixed traditional strings and horns in with “some
electronics that were way, way, way up the octaves” so that the dogs’
owners also had something to enjoy.
“We brought the octaves down into our hearing range so we could all
have the experience,” she said.
One sheepdog nipped enthusiastically at the heels of a nervous poodle
and there were a few robust exchanges of barking, but Anderson praised
the doggy decorum overall, describing the event as the “highlight of my
life”.
“The dogs were really wonderful audience members, they were grooving,
a lot of them were singing and dancing, they were uninhibited,” she said
after the recital.
“And you know what? There were no dog fights. We were very relieved
about that, everyone was very well behaved.” AFP Caption Dogs and their
owners gather on the steps of the Sydney Opera House.
AFP |
