Pauline Forster

Pauline Forster (born 1949, Carlisle) is an English artist, performer, musician, designer and landlady of The George Tavern in the East End of London. She was previously known under the name Wilson-Copp. She is best known for her Dog On performance, a mirrored Ford Capri outside the Tate Modern on its opening day, 8 May 2000.

Pauline Forster was born in Carlisle 1949, the Lake District, daughter of Jack Forster and Meg Arbury, the fourth of six siblings. They lived a feral, poverty stricken life until Pauline was 9 when they moved to Gloucestershire. Enterprising from an early age Pauline had her first market stall at 6.

Leaving home at 16 Pauline went to Gloucester College of Art and was initially given a place at Falmouth College of Arts. However, her declared dyslexia prevented her from gaining the necessary grade in English and the place was subsequently refused.

Pauline settled in Stroud and went on to marry and have five sons. After her divorce, she started an Access programme in Art in 1998 and went on to study Fine Art at Cheltenham College of Art in 2000. In 2003, she bought The George Tavern. Pauline was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. She currently lives and works at The George Tavern, Stepney.

After the disappointment of not being allowed to carry on her art education Pauline was penniless and had to turn to her enterprising abilities. She collected old scraps of leather and created Handmade by Pauline Forster in 1969, a clothing and accessory label. She took her hippy-style products from Kings Road to the Isle of Wight Festival and always sold out. The business grew over time and her products were stocked by Harrods and were included in the Queen's Christmas crackers as prizes for many years. Pauline sold Handmade by Pauline Forster in 1994.

While at Cheltenham College Forster created the first of her notorious performance art pieces. Dog On was a clamped, mirrored Capri which Forster slept in for three nights outside the Tate Modern starting on the day of its grand opening. The work courted much media attention with features in most of the daily newspapers. The work was to challenge the YBA/Brit Art scene that was dogged by elitism. On the night before the Queen was visiting the Tate Modern Pauline was woken up by MI5, who threw her onto the streets with no shoes or money and impounded the car as the piece was considered a "security risk". Branded as an "art terrorist" Pauline was adamant; "I am not an anarchist, I'm an artist", she told one paper.

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