The exhibition puts the dogs, once anonymous experimental subjects, at centre stage. It offers a darkly playful twist on accepted narratives and challenges preconceptions about Pavlov's methods and the supposedly docile experimental animals involved.
The dioramas feature meticulously detailed recreations of Pavlov’s laboratory including the experimental procedures, sinister goings on in the Tower of Silence, an antivivisection protest threatening to get out of hand, the medicinal uses of the gastric juice of a dog, and Pavlov: Action Hero - with accessories of course!
Dr Matthew Adams, Principal Lecturer in Psychology at the University of Brighton said: “The idea was inspired by my research focus on human-animal relations and my interest in exploring the history of psychology and science, particularly Ivan Pavlov's experiments with dogs. The more I found out about the detail of the experiments the more I wanted to delve deeper into the lives and experiences of the dogs, the human-animal relationships in the lab and the wider social and cultural changes underway at the time. I became convinced that the story of Pavlov’s dogs would interest both academic and non-academic audiences. I started to imagine bringing their stories to light for wider public through art.”