Choques

Dogs are a popular motif in the videos of Francis Alÿs. He transforms seemingly ordinary encounters between humans and animals into slapstick-like situations. In his nine-channel video installation Choques - meaning collision - a man stumbles over a stray street dog and falls down, face forward. The dog, on the other hand, continues unhindered on his way after a brief barking episode.
The fateful encounter was filmed from different perspectives at an intersection in Mexico City. The individual sequences are presented - like a running gag - on nine flat screens in the exhibition space. The passer-by is played by the artist. Each scene ends with his friend's running into the picture and mimicking a clapperboard with his hands. An exception is the last sequence, which was filmed from the perspective of the dog.