My Dog Sighs' new documentary and exhibition We Shelter Here Sometimes goes on show at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard

The project took over the vast interior of the former Kimbells nightclub and casino on Osborne Road in Southsea.

Starting work on it in late 2019, the artist had initially envisaged it taking a few months to complete, but as Covid arrived it presented him with a unique set of circumstances to work on it in secret in splendid (and not so splendid) isolation for months. And months.

The already ambitious plans grew and grew until it became a huge, immersive world – a trip into the artist’s psyche. He eventually threw the doors open to the public in July 2021 for just two weeks.

And that was it.

However, throughout the whole process filmmaker Paul Gonella of Strong Island was there alongside My Dog Sighs, documenting the entire process.

A feature length documentary – We Shelter Here, Sometimes, received its premiere last night at the cinema in Boathouse 6 at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. There are two more screenings tonight (Saturday, June 15), and a full, accompanying exhibition of the same name which is open to the public this weekend and next.

A 15 minute teaser for the film was unveiled last month at a show in London, but the artist wanted the proper film to make its debut in his home city.

When we talk he is busy setting up the exhibition, which is in Storehouse No.9 at the dockyard.

“It’s this beautiful, old, crazy, unusual building that's been many things in the past. It's not quite the casino, but it kind of fits the aesthetic of what I want to do – and It's right across the road from the cinema as well, which is great.“I'm just so excited to get the long film out. It's been a labour of love right from starting to film it, however many years ago that was.

“When Paul was filming we didn't have an end goal – you know, we thought we might make some social media shorts, we'd do something with it. And of course, the five month project turned into the two year project. And Paul religiously came in every week and started documenting stuff so we had thousands of hours of footage.”

He reveals that even a film has had to cut a lot out.

“Paul did the first cut and he said, ‘Do you want to do a series? Because the first cut's nine hours long...’I don't think anybody's going to want that!

“I reckon we've definitely got a whole series of YouTube shorts of various parts of the film that didn't end up making the cut that are still really interesting. We'll see if we can do something with that.”

The former teacher has been interviewed numerous times for TV, radio and print over his 21-year art career, but this was something different.

“I suppose because I know Paul really well as a filmmaker, it was very, very relaxed. The film is made up of three different parts. He said to me right in the beginning: ‘make a video diary, like a vlog’. So every day I would make a little clip on my phone of this has happened, that's happened, or what a disaster – the building's burning down or the kids have broken in or whatever's happened.” Both of those things did happen over the course of My Dog creating the installation.

“Then he did an interview every other month and then he filmed the whole physical making of it.

"He kind of based it on my video diaries to start with and then used his footage in the interviews to put that personal journey into perspective. It's a weird one. It's just me in the film on my own. You know how you hate having your own photograph taken, imagine having 10,000 hours of someone sticking a video up your nose?” he laughs. “I had to learn to not be uncomfortable with looking at myself on the screen.”

My Dog Sighs put himself through the wringer to make Inside – is this going to be like watching him unravel before our eyes?

“Oh, it very much is, yes,” he chuckles. “Sometimes to the point you think: ‘He's never going to ravel back up again...’

“It nearly physically and mentally broke me. It was amazing, but it was definitely biting off more than I could chew. It's been quite fascinating going back and reliving that through putting the film together – ‘oh my gosh, I forgot that happened and this happened’. You can see me slowly disintegrating as the two years go on. At the beginning, I'm all bouncy going, ‘oh, I'm going to do this, and this is really great’.

“Then by the end of the film, I'm like, ‘what did I do? Why did I do it, again, Someone remind me?’”

Since then though, he’s been busier than ever – and the end of the documentary touches on that.

“At the end of the film, it talks about me going back outside again and what I did next. Just in that short space between inside finishing and where we are now, working with The Big Issue (he guest-edited an issue) and the giant treasure hunt that we did last Easter (to mark his 20th anniversary), which was crazy and fantastic. And I'm painting in various places around the world.

“It's been really exciting to realise that Inside had the impact that it did, that it changed who I was as an artist and has been exciting in spring-boarding me forwards.”

And there’s always more: “I've just finished a painting now with the university. I've been very kindly honoured with an honorary degree, so I'm going to be going to the Guildhall in the summer for that! I have no idea quite why they chose me, but it is such a lovely thing, having worked in the city doing so much with the Look Up Festival and all the other bits and pieces.

"A couple of weeks ago we got invited up to Buckingham Palace to the garden party as well. That was a bit of a buzz – had a cream tea with the King and lots of other very creative people.”

After this, My Dog Sighs is taking the exhibition and film to Bristol in July, and after that?

“Then we are entering it into some film festivals, but one of the downsides of entering it into film festivals is they like exclusivity so you can't release it online until it's been entered.

"So for the rest of the summer, it's hopefully going to be accepted into some film festivals - we're applying to a whole bunch of festivals around the world to do that right now.”

But rest assured, all of his fans will get the chance to see the documentary: "Ultimately, we'll put it online so everyone can access it and see it in that way. I'm really proud of it. It's a really good film.”

The accompanying exhibition acts as a bridge between Inside and what he’s been up to more recently.

"There's some pieces from Inside – a few sculptures in there, a few of the larger paintings, but really, it's two years' worth of work since Inside.

"I haven't had any big solo exhibitions since Inside, but I've still been in the studio, I've still been making and creating and kind of moving things forward from there.

“It's a mixture of the old and the new - mainly new, but there's a few little highlights that if anybody went to Inside, they would go: ‘Oh, I recognise that!”

While it is in the dockyard, it’s important to emphasise that the exhibition is free to all – not just those coming to the screenings or the Historic Dockyard’s museums and ships.

“I think lots of people feel that with the Historic Dockyard you've got to buy a ticket and go and see one of the ships, but actually, you can walk in and just make your way in there. And there's loads of really interesting stuff to look at.

“It was great to be able to work with the Portsmouth Historic Quarter, who are the guys that very kindly reached out and said: ‘Look, we've got these spaces if you ever want to do anything’.“I went and looked around and was like: ‘Yes, I do. It's a brilliant space”. It's nice to show that part of the city.“And I think people of Portsmouth need to remember that it's there and not just for tourists, and it's a resource for them to use as well. Hopefully this will springboard other creatives to use that space, or other local people to think about it as a resource.”

How to see the exhibition

The ​We Shelter here, Sometimes exhibition is open to the public from 10am to 5pm today (June 15), tomorrow and on Saturday and Sunday, July 22-23 in Storehouse 9 of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

Entry is free – you do not need to pay to enter the dockyard.

The artist gives special thanks to Portsmouth Historic Quarter for their support.

Today’s screenings of the film have already sold out.

For more information go to mydogsighs.co.uk.