Artist Statement
The over population of homeless pets is a problem that plagues both the city of Atlanta and the entire Southeast. In 2013, Fulton County Animal Services took in 9,225 animals. The tornado-like mechanical sculpture O’Connor and Appel have created contains 365 birds, each bird representing 25 animals, which is the average daily intake at the shelter during a typical year. The tornado symbolizes a destructive force that can be overcome if more people get involved and help to break the cycle.
Artist Bio
Dorothy O’Connor graduated with degrees in Literature and Studio Arts. Her photographs and installations feature thoughtfully composed and hand-crafted scenes which combine elements of still-life, portraiture, landscape and performance to produce unique and evocative works of art. She has received grants from Possible Futures, FLUX and the Forward Arts Foundation to present her installations as public art. Dorothy’s photographs, the lasting element of her installations, have been exhibited in galleries throughout the U.S. She began 2013 with an artist residency at Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art in Nashville where she built and presented her latest installation, “Shelter.” Her work is in the permanent collections of MOCA GA, Cheekwood Botanical Garden and Museum of Art, the Center for Fine Art Photography and is included in many private collections.