by : Francis ALŸS
durée : 04:37 mn
Hidalgo, México 2003.
In collaboration with Rafael Ortega
Protagonist: the camera
Cause of the conflict: the crossing of a road blocked by dogs at the entry of a village
Agents of the conflict: the dogs
Plot: the camera has to break its way through the pack of dogs in order to enter the village
As is well known, ‘gringo’ is the derogatory term Mexicans use to refer to NorthAmerican citizens. Shot in a central province of Mexico, Alÿs’s video portrays the confrontation between a group of dogs protecting their master’s home and an intruder (the cameraman, invisible to the work’s spectators). In this fiction of sorts, the camera takes an active role in the unfolding of the narrative.
By examining the way in which its oppressive gaze can be a form of weaponry as much as a shield, it draws attention to how videocameras have become an epitome of power. Acting ‘like a dog among dogs’, Alÿs deliberately set the camera against the animals knowing that dogs loathe direct eye contact. Throughout the film the camera manages to keep the dogs at bay, sometimes providing a physical armour, sometimes actively entering into the game of menace and recognition.
©Francis Alÿs.
Public domain videos can be downloaded and shared with others as long as the authorship is credited and there is a link back to the website of the author. These videos cannot be altered in any way or used for commercial purpose nor cannot be displayed or exhibited without the consent of the artist.
Francis Alys :http://www.francisalys.com
Ce lien vous amènera sur les vidéos de différentes actions qu’il a réalisé ces dernières années, et tous ça en licence Créative Commons, c’est à souligner, car peu d’artistes de cette renommée permettent la diffusion libre de leurs œuvres, alors on en profite et on le partage sans modération …
Il est né en 1959 à Anvers, c’est un artiste touchant à tous les médias.
Il vit et travaille à Mexico depuis 1986.
Voir sa bio complète sur wikipédia : Francis Alÿs