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I would like to know what Bart Dijkman’s dog is called. To get the animal listed in the (as yet to be set up) Video Dogs Hall of Fame. Bart’s dog belongs in the same category as William Wegman’s Man Ray and Bettina Gruber’s Flicki; dogs without which video art would be a lot duller. But why is it that the canis familiaris is the most popular animal with videomakers? Perhaps the question should be put differently: what is it that makes the domesticated dog so suitable? It’s that dogs are so easy. Any dog worth its salt will do anything to please its owner, even in front of the camera. You can’t teach cats anything, let alone fool them. Cats don’t do tricks to order; they are more difficult to fob off with a treat. In contrast, Bart Dijkman’s dog will sit still for minutes on end waiting on its treat. At least, that’s what it looks like. Because, is the animal really sitting still, and to what extent does His Master’s Voice exercise digital manipulation?
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Erik Quint
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Camera Marcel Prins, With Bart & Henkie Dijkman, Thanks to Provincie Gelderland, Henkie Dijkman
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