Paul Andriesse

Charlotte Dumas

22 Oct - 10 Dec 2011

© Charlotte Dumas
CHARLOTTE DUMAS
Retrieved
22 October – 10 December, 2011

Immediately following the attacks of 9/11, nearly 100 trainedsearch dogs and their handlers –enlisted from 18 US states– were deployed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), to join the rescue efforts at the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Alongside firemenand other teams sorting through the debris, the dogs worked tirelessly around the clock to locate survivors in the rubble –images of which deeply intrigued Charlotte Dumas as the events unfolded in the news media. One decade later, discovering that only 15 of these dogs were still alive, Dumas succeeded in tracking each of them down, visiting and photographing the dogs at their homes throughout the US, where they all still live with their handlers. Composed at close range in natural light, Dumas’ powerful portraits offer an intimate view into the everyday lives of these highly specialized working animals, now sharing the vulnerability of old age as they once pursued a common heroic goal.
 

Tags: Charlotte Dumas