His Master’s Voice 1973

Curator: This is "His Master's Voice" by Barry Flanagan. It's a deceptively simple line drawing, almost childlike. Editor: Yes, there's something quite melancholic about its sparseness, isn't there? The dog looks almost wistful. Curator: The composition's interesting, too. You've got the dog, then a framed circle, and that almost umbilical cord-like line connecting them. Editor: That cord is so crucial! Semiotically, it undermines the dog's traditional association with loyalty. What *is* he listening to? Or what is he *meant* to listen to? Curator: Perhaps Flanagan is playing on the idea of prescribed roles, the expectations put upon us. That dog, the circle, they become symbols of constraint. Editor: It's a surprisingly unsettling piece when you delve a little deeper into it, isn't it? Despite its apparent simplicity, Flanagan poses uncomfortable questions. Curator: Indeed. It makes you wonder, what voices *should* we be listening to?