Dog Piss Poems

Dog Piss Poems began in early 2023 during a 12-month stay in central Paris. This photographic series challenges the typical glamorous and idealised narratives of the city by focusing on the ubiquitous trails of dog piss found throughout paris. The project explores what truly constitutes the essence of Paris, using the city as a metaphor that extends beyond its iconic scenery. It addresses themes of suffering and joy, humour and banality, and aims to honour the liminal space between the world’s presentation and our perception of it. Whether one admires or criticises the city’s fantasy, there is room for curiosity about what it genuinely represents.

The photographs, taken on 35mm film, utilise blind in-camera double exposures captured weeks apart. Rolls of film are completed, reloaded, and re-exposed with different lens combinations, producing serendipitous results. This method invites time and opportunity—viewed as limited resources—into the creative process. The photographer’s inevitable subjectivity is deliberately reduced but not entirely erased.

At its core, Dog Piss Poems is a love letter to Paris and urban life. The series offers a childlike and hopeful perspective, remaining open to both joy and mundanity, horror and delight, echoing Rainer Maria Rilke’s sentiments in his Book of Hours. The project continues into 2024.