london's silent hounds
Be part of a unique awareness project and photography book
Greyhounds & Galgos: Echoes of London is a fine art black-and-white photography book that invites a reconsideration of how these dogs are seen, and what their images reveal about value, history and attention.
For thousands of years, Greyhounds and Galgos were recorded in art as beings of status and significance, placed beside pharaohs, nobles and gods. Today, their presence is more often confined to racetracks, fields, or images of harm that ask us to look briefly and move on. This project proposes a different way of seeing.
Through still, architectural portraits set within London’s layered cityscape, award-winning photographer Elena Marchi removes these dogs from performance and spectacle. They stand alone, unframed by human figures, meeting the viewer’s gaze. The city becomes a canvas through which past, present and future slowly unfold.
about the book
The why, the who, and the how
Greyhounds & Galgos: Echoes of London is structured around time: these dogs’s past, present and future trace how Greyhounds and Galgos have moved through human history, how they are seen today, and how art can help imagine something different.
Much of what we know about the early lives of Greyhounds and Galgos comes not from scientific records, but from art. For centuries, they appeared repeatedly in carvings, manuscripts, paintings and literature, depicted as companions to rulers, hunters, saints and gods. These images tell us not only what these dogs did, but how they were valued, protected and positioned beside people.
Today, their representation has narrowed. Greyhounds are largely associated with racing, Galgos with hunting, and imagery often centres on speed, utility or suffering. While these realities matter, they leave little room to see the dogs beyond function or shock. This book does not attempt to catalogue harm, nor to persuade through urgency. Instead, it offers a slower way of looking.
The portraits place Greyhounds and Galgos within London’s architecture: a city where history and modern life exist side by side. From neoclassical symmetry to industrial infrastructure and contemporary structures, the locations form a loose timeline that mirrors the dogs’ own journey through visibility, decline and adaptation. As in the art of the past, the dogs are given space, presence and stillness. Unlike historical depictions, no human figures anchor them. They stand on their own.
Every Greyhound and Galgo in this book is a survivor, each navigating a present they were never prepared for with remarkable steadiness. They are not presented as workers, nor as victims, but as individuals shaped by a long history and still open to a different future.
Created in support of the work of Project Galgo, Greyhounds & Galgos: Echoes of London brings together art, architecture and lived experience, inviting attention to linger, assumptions to soften, and space to open for a new way of seeing.
“To see a Galgo in the city, comfortable in its own skin, is a radical act in Spain. All Galgos, all Greyhounds, are ambassadors of a common cause that needs to be heard. It challenges the lie that they are merely livestock. It proves that their nobility is innate, not granted by a master. This book is a sanctuary for that truth. It is a visual testament that while their history may be written in blood, their future can be written in light.”
Yeray López Portillo – Director of Yo Galgo
A quiet revolution
Change does not always arrive loudly.
Sometimes it begins with attention.
Greyhounds & Galgos: Echoes of London
30 × 30 cm hardback fine art photography book
£45
Available to ship from mid-June
about us
pawtiqe
Elena Marchi is a fine art photographer based in London, working exclusively in black and white. Her practice centres on portraiture and explores form, presence and the quiet details that define individuality. By removing colour, Elena reduces each image to its essentials, allowing structure, expression and subtle gesture to emerge without distraction. Her approach is deliberate and attentive, shaped by the belief that stillness and restraint can reveal more than spectacle.
Elena’s interest in Greyhounds and Galgos developed gradually through photographing the breed, meeting owners and learning how their long history contrasts with how they are most often seen today. This research and experience led to Greyhounds & Galgos: Echoes of London, a body of work that brings together art history, architecture and contemporary portraiture to offer a different way of seeing these dogs.
project galgo
Project Galgo is a small, UK based, volunteer led, not-for-profit animal welfare rescue organisation dedicated to relieving and preventing the suffering predominantly, though not exclusively, of Galgos and Podencos (Spanish sighthounds) and Salukis who are in need of care and protection, in particular by rescue, rehabilitation and re-homing.
Their mission is to promote humane behaviour towards animals by providing appropriate care, protection, treatment and security for these breeds, which are in need of care and attention by reason of sickness, maltreatment, poor circumstances or ill usage, and to educate the public in matters pertaining to animal welfare in general and the prevention of cruelty and suffering among animals.
Through a careful adoption process, they strive to place dogs in loving homes where they are valued and respected for life.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Absolutely not! We don’t aim to show perfectly trained model, but real hounds who have faced adoption challenges and have adapted, or are slowly adapting to the city life
All dogs will be photographed on-lead, and the lead will be removed in prost-production. Safety always comes first.
We will be phographing two dogs in each London inner borough. Locations in each borough are being selected, and although you won’t be able to pick the exact location, you can pick your favourite borough, or the one closest to you! Plus, we are open to location suggestions if you have any!
In case of heavy rain on the day of your photoshoot, we will simply reschedule to a different day!
You can! As long as all dogs are part of the same household, feel free to bring all your adopted hounds! They will be featured in one single image.
We estimate the final book will be priced at around £50, though this may vary slightly depending on the number of portraits and the final book size. Our goal is to create a medium-sized coffee table book, but the layout isn’t finalised yet – models first!
By adding a copy of the book to your feature option, you’ll get it at the early bird price of £40, and signed by the photographer.
Each dog will have a main architectural portrait in the chosen location, and extra ones should you opt in for an extended shoot. The resulting images will be featured in the book, the calendar and available as limited edition fine art prints – each sold to raise funds for Project Galgo.
For the purpose of this book, we are only accepting greyhounds and galgos models.
It depends on which feature option you pick. The basic feature will use one single portrait of your dog, alongside their story, on a single spread (2 pages). SHould you opt for a longer shoot and extended feature, your dog will have 2-3 spreads (4-6 pages) and thenumber of images will depedn on their format and how we can fit them within those pages.
During your 30-minute session, our priority is capturing the main architectural portrait. Fine art photography takes time, and depending on your dog’s cooperation, we may need the full session to achieve the perfect shot. If we capture it quickly, we’ll use any remaining time to take additional portraits.
For more variety, a longer session is the best option. After your shoot, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase extra images, prints, and wall art if you wish.
Your shoot and feature fee is split equally between Pawtiqe and Project Galgo. This helps Elena organize and carry out the sessions while also raising funds to support Project Galgo’s vital work.
Of course! You don’t have to be based in London to feature your hound. However, please bear in mind we’ll shoot in the London, so your dog should be comfortable with city noises.
