Bucharest Biennale 7, 2016. Photo: BB7

The Dogs of Sector X

16mm film transferred to HD, 6:55 min.

An investigation of the changing phenomenon of stray dogs in Bucharest. From the 1960s on, Bucharest was inhabited by an increasing number of stray dogs. They were remnants of the time when the Ceausescu government obliterated semi-rural, residential parts of the city. Abandoned by their owners, these former guard dogs roamed the streets. In 2013, there were an estimated 65,000 stray dogs in the city. Due to a tragic accident that year, a decision was made to remove them altogether. However, dogs are still present in the urban space, whether as strays, now-adopted street dogs, or dogs who live in the streets and are taken care of by the community. During a stay in Bucharest, Buhl followed dogs through the streets of a residential neighborhood. The film recordings are based on an aleatory system: the dogs she happened to encounter and her conversations with the people who take care of them.

The Dogs of Sector X, was Nanna Debois Buhl’s contribution to the Bucharest Biennale 7, 2016 in the form of a website and a billboard displayed on a Bucharest roadside.