Fascinating History of Rockaway's Dog On Car

Every piece at Rockaway has its own unique history, like this one - the Dog On car.

Dog On was a performance and art piece created by Pauline Forster, who slept in the clamped, mirrored Capri for three nights outside the Tate Modern gallery in London, starting on the day of its grand opening, in 2000. The work caused a stir in the press and challenged the Brit Art scene that was dogged by elitism.

Here is an extract from Pauline’s press release, which was sent out the night before she left Gloucestershire to make her journey to the Tate Modern:

“In a bid to get the world of Establishment Art to change gear and rev its ideas up, a breaking artist will be ram-raiding her way into Tate Modern’s opening celebrations on Monday 8th May, 2000. Driven by a desire to take artists out of neutral and put their hands back on the power steering, she will be joy-riding into London on the fast-lane this Monday.”

The story of Dog On's journey, before it ended up at Rockaway, features on the website of Pauline's pub and music venue, the famous George Tavern, in London's East End. Considered a 'security risk' by MI5, the car also attracted the likes of John Cooper Clark and Grace Jones, who both posed on the bonnet.

For the full story of Dog On's journey throughout the years, click HERE! And for the history of the George Tavern, plus its current campaign to protect the heritage of live music venues, please click HERE.

(NB: Thanks to Sam of Braithwaite Photography for the images)