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Control.

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Control; to assert control over someone or something, especially to limit their or its actions or potentially negative effects.

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Control. The seventh artwork from the Law on the Wall series by Lawyers Arts Club.


 

 The title Control is taken from the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 section 3.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF A SINGLE WORD

In one-word sentences the subject (noun) or the action (verb) of the sentence is implied. That means it is understood in the context of the sentence (or the sentences around it) so that the subject and/or verb do not need to be stated explicitly.

WHY CONTROL?

The word control is a verb making it an action word. The act of control in this context is to keep your dog under proper control.

Reflection of the Big Dipper, 1947 by Jackson Pollock

Reflection of the Big Dipper, 1947 by Jackson Pollock

WHAT LAW IS ON THE WALL?

The law on the wall is the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 which was passed after eleven horrific attacks in 1991. The Home Secretary at the time Kenneth Baker promised "to rid the country of the menace of these fighting dogs".

Dangerous Dogs Act 1991. 3 Keeping dogs under proper control. (1) If a dog is dangerously out of control in any place in England or Wales (whether or not a public place)— (a) the owner; and (b) if different, the person for the time being in charge of the dog, is guilty of an offence, or, if the dog while so out of control injures any person or assistance dog, an aggravated offence, under this subsection.

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THIS ACT DEFINED A DANGEROUS DOG

Dangerous dogs are classified by a '“type” of dog not by a breed label. This act applies to four types of dogs: Pit Bull Terrier, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro.

The act also covers cross-breeds of the above types of dog. An assessment of their physical characters and whether they match the description of a prohibited “type" is made by a Dog Legislation Officer (DLO) a police officer experienced in dog handling nd legislation, who assist in the investigation of dog-related allegations of crime.

“Self-discipline begins with the control of your thoughts. If you do not control what you think, you can not control what you do. Simply, self-discipline enables you to think first and then act..”
— Napoleon Hill

CAN YOU CONTROL YOURSELF

Psychologists typically define self-control as: The ability to control behaviours in order to avoid temptations and to achieve goals. The ability to delay gratification and resist unwanted behaviours or urges. A limited resource that can be depleted.

SELF CONTROL

Self-control is the ability to regulate and alter your responses in order to avoid undesirable behaviors, increase desirable ones, and achieve long-term goals. Research has shown that possessing self-control can be important for health and well-being.

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DOG FIGHTING

Dogs used for fighting must be kept isolated from other dogs, they are usually unsocialised to other dogs and to most people. The dogs are exercised under controlled conditions, such as on a treadmill. They can be given anabolic steroids to enhance muscle mass and narcotic drugs to increase the dogs’ aggression and reactivity and/or mask pain or fear during a fight. Ears are cropped and tails docked close to their bodies. Limiting areas of the body another dog can grab onto in a fight and making it more difficult for other dogs to read the animal’s mood and intentions through normal body language cues.

“And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became truth. ‘Who controls the past’ ran the Party slogan, ‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.”
— George Orwell, 1984

DANGEROUSLY OUT OF CONTROL

A dog doesn’t have to have bitten or physically injured someone for an offence to take place. If a person feels your dog may hurt them, they may still be considered ‘dangerously out of control’. This applies to all dogs of all sizes, breeds and types.


WHY IS CONTROL IMPORTANT IN 2021 AND BEYOND?

We are living under a time where state control has never been so authoritarian. Self control never more so required and the taking control of your life, your future and your freedom never as necessary,

CONTROL MATTERS

Humans have a desire for certainty and control. That is the more in control we feel, the more effective we feel about achieving the outcomes we desire, and this sense of competence boosts well-being. Control also feels good because it makes us believe that we aren't under someone else's control.

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DANGEROUS DOGS BREEDS

Pit Bull Terriers, Japanese Tosa, Dogo Argentino and Fila Brasileiro are on the Dangerous Dogs Act list because the UK Government considers them a risk to the public. Pit Bull Terriers and Japanese Tosas were bred for blood sports.

OUT OF CONTROL IN A PUBLIC PLACE

Dogs must not be allowed to be ‘dangerously out of control’, which means injuring someone or making someone fear they may be injured. This applies to any breed or type of dog.

Owners (or the person in charge of the dog at the time) who allow their pets to hurt a person face punishments of up to three years in prison for injury, or 14 years for death, an unlimited fine, disqualification from owning pets, and having their dog destroyed. It is also an offence to allow a dog to injure a registered assistance dog.

In cases where no injury is caused, owners can still go to prison for six months, be fined up to £5,000, be banned from owning pets and have their dog destroyed.

RAW TRUTH VIA THE ARTS

Artists have long depicted dog fighting as far back as the Roman Empire and museums and galleries have always shown works that are difficult, uncomfortable, provocative. In 2017 the Guggenheim decided to pull three artworks after pressure from animal rights supporters over the show “Art and China After 1989: Theater of the World.” Including the one below which is a still taken from a seven-minute video with eight American pit bulls on eight treadmills.

Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other, 2003 by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

Dogs That Cannot Touch Each Other, 2003 by Sun Yuan and Peng Yu

“I’ve never been that much of a money guy. I’m more of a film guy, and most of the money I’ve made is in defense of trying to keep creative control of my movies.”
— George Lucas

WHAT DOES CONTROL MEAN IN ART

Many artists work with control from a martial artist to a ballet dancer or from a sculptor to a fine artist. The level of control required to produce something of precision or train to have a technique of perfection is a highly tuned art form and requires dedication, discipline and commitment.

ARTISTIC CONTROL IN THE ARTS

Artistic control or creative control is a term used across the Arts and a person with artistic control has the authority to decide how the final product will appear. For example in movies, this commonly refers to the authority to decide on the final cut.

INTERACTIVE ART THAT SPARKS DISCUSSION

This is an on going, interactive artwork to keep people engaged with the law and the discussion that comes from it.

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WHY ROWLEY REGIS?

On Good Friday, Darren Wheeler was arrested on suspicion of being the person in charge of a dog dangerously out of control with death caused. His two dogs were destroyed. Locals believe he was breeding pitbull-type dogs of which two got in a neighbours garden through a fence and dragged an 85 year old great grandmother around her garden by the neck to her death.

LUCILLE DOWNER

Dementia-sufferer Lucille Downer was a great-grandmother that lived in Rowley Regis, Birmingham since emigrating to the UK from Jamaica in her early 20’s. She spent her working years as a cook at Bromford House Care Home in West Bromwich and retired on Boundary Avenue opposite her daughter in an area where she could be close to her grand children and great grand children.

Control. artwork installation on Boundary Avenue, Rowley Regis on 03/04/21

Control. artwork installation on Boundary Avenue, Rowley Regis on 03/04/21

BE HEARD AND GET INVOLVED

The UK is a country of pet owners and many people regard ‘dog as mans best friend’. All dogs of all types can be seen in parks, towns and fields across the country. Are the dangerous dogs misunderstood? Or should we have stricter laws for owners of dangerous dogs? Are we doing enough to protect our citizens?

Lucille Downer 1936 - 2021

Lucille Downer 1936 - 2021

Control. is dedicated to the memory of Lucille Downer


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