Not many folks ventured guesses on the baby/black poodle post. I drew quite a blank when I first looked at it myself, but here's how my daughter and I each interpreted the exhibit. Of course, there is no correct answer, and I'd still love to hear more of your opinions, if you have any!
My thoughts: Dogs' lives are centered around humans, so even a human infant exerts influence and control over dogs. The baby is powerful, while the dogs all have to obey. I didn't think of this as being a positive statement, but more indicative of how humans have too much power over all animals in general, not just dogs. We say what they can and can't do, whether they live or die. We try to create too much order by imposing superficial and unnatural behaviors, shown by the poodles standing in rigidly defined circles.
Daughter A: The poodles represent society since it is a breed that people exert a lot of control over, with their coiffed pompadour hairdos and oftentimes luxurious human-centered lifestyles. The baby in the center symbolizes purity, while the poodles symbolize social pressures, media, and other evils, waiting to manipulate and sully the purity in all of us.
To read a bit more about the exhibit, click here.
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