Wandering through design stores like ecc on James Street, you may have encountered a plastic pooch similar to this one and wondered what the inspiration behind it might be might be. Well, it’s Puppylove – the brainchild of Miami-based design team Luminaire, who invited 36 of the world’s most renowned artists and designers to take a basic plastic 3D puppy model and put their own individual spin on it. The resulting litter of designer pups were then auctioned off by Christie’s auction house (with a starting price of US$5000) at Art Basel Miami in December 2006, with 100% of the proceeds going towards a local Miami cancer research centre. According to the event organisers, the aim of the project was to “fuse the whimsical world of art, design and fashion to present a unique perspective on humanity, which exists to provoke ideas, fantasies and most importantly to contribute to a important charitable cause”. Versions of the puppies are now available in design stores throughout the world and while they may not be the most playful of pets, well, at least you won’t have to clean up after them…
