Paws for thought

The inspiration behind award-winning photographer Martin Usborne's latest series, MUTE, was the experience of being left in the car as a child. 'I wondered if anyone would come back. It seems trivial now but in a child's mind it is possible to be alone forever.' 

A dog owner himself, the initial message in the images appears to tie in with the campaign to stop dogs being abandoned in hot cars. But, as he explains, the shots were purposefully taken at night 'because I was keen not to make a point about leaving dogs in hot cars, but wanted the images to be more poetic and universal. The symbolism of dogs stuck in cars - as sign of helplessness - is well understood by most people, and I'm very much aware that many animals are voiceless and mute at the hands of humans. So these images are both about the loneliness and voiceless that we humans often feel but also a plea to listen more to the voices of animals.'

Mute is on view at theprintspace Gallery in London until the end of today (9 November). 10% of all print sales will go to the Dogs Trust.

Follow the link to the BBC picture editor's blog for more information on the making of MUTE