Barking Dogs Don’t Bite by Alona Rodeh

Barking Dogs Don't Bite, a short film by Alona Rodeh, depicts a vacant space activated by a chain of staged, semi-automated events. Comprising two parts, day and night, the film presents opposing points of view. The space—a commercial art gallery—enters a cyclical process that seems almost self-induced. First, an iron gate slowly opens. A few seconds go by when a sudden burst of white smoke enters the room, filling up the screen. A long and noisy alarm sound is cued, triggering the activation of water sprinklers that disperse the white smoke until all is clear again. The iron gate then closes. Passersby seem indifferent to the drama roiling indoors, and the viewer remains the sole witness to this absurd performance of mechanical self-defense.

Alona Rodeh is a visual artist, scenographer, and urban practitioner based in Berlin and Tel Aviv. Her cross-disciplinary practices are rooted in the perception of space and include creating large immersive environments that incorporate light and sound, producing video works, publishing books, night walking, and more. With an emphasis on public space, she has shown her works extensively inside and outside of institutions, museums, and galleries around the world. She teaches at Shenkar College of Engineering and Design, and advocates for the International Dark Sky Association.