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The Dog Project: 120 playful papier-mâché pooches let loose in County Cork

For the Kinsale Arts Festival in County Cork, Ireland, local artist Tom Campbell decided to put a smile on every visitor's face by creating 120 papier-mâché dogs, with the help of one hundred volunteers, and placing them at various locations around the town.

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Large group of tan papier-mâché dogs clustered together on Kinsale beach with visitors and the blue sea in the background

The playful canines were placed on Kinsale's beach, around local places of interest and brought together in various forms – all of which the public were encouraged to participate and play with. As you can imagine, the installation was incredibly popular with families and children – making art accessible to everyone.

Originally from the town of Dumfries in Scotland, Tom has been based in Cork since 2001. He works in a fairly free and spontaneous manner and loves to paint, sculpt, sing, perform, and do anything creative. He explains: "I believe that art is not a luxury item but a necessity for society, art is for all."

Via Behance | All images copyright John Allen

Towering papier-mâché dog sculpture on a beach with a child reaching up to touch it, other visitors nearby, and water and green hills visible in the distance
A large group of papier-mâché dogs in various poses scattered across Kinsale beach, with visitors walking among them in the background
A long procession of papier-mâché dogs stretches across Kinsale beach while visitors in colourful clothing play and interact with the sculpture installation
Children and adults play amongst papier-mâché dogs on Kinsale beach with water and green hills in the background
A towering papier-mâché sculpture of intertwined dogs on Kinsale beach, with visitors wading in the shallow water nearby under a blue sky
Intertwined papier-mâché dogs with exaggerated limbs and playful poses stacked together under a blue sky, part of Tom Campbell's Dog Project installation
Artist Tom Campbell crouches among dozens of papier-mâché dogs from The Dog Project installation at Kinsale Arts Festival in County Cork, Ireland
Families and children enjoy a sandy beach beside blue water under cloudy skies, with scattered figures wading and playing in the shallow water
Papier-mâché dogs arranged on a beach with a small sailboat and visitors in the background at Kinsale, County Cork
A person holds a large golden papier-mâché dog sculpture, with a waterfront car park and river visible behind them during the Kinsale Arts Festival
A weathered bronze statue of a bearded man surrounded by papier-mâché dogs on grass, with Georgian buildings and the Actons Hotel visible behind
Children and adults interact with papier-mâché dogs scattered across a grassy area at the Kinsale Arts Festival in County Cork, Ireland
A line of tan papier-mâché dogs stretches along a Kinsale street, with children and spectators gathered around them during the festival installation
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