Pigeoning

I am interested in the relationship between curating, art, ecology, and ethics.   My practice is interdisaplinary, multi- facited, and involves working with many constituencies.   My work addresses the questions: Can art be ethical?   Can art change our daily living?   Can art be socially investigative?

For this Pigeoning project I would like to breed, train, and use homing pigeons for communication purposes.   Pigeons are important creatures which have historically been used for carrying messages (Pigeon Post), for example during the World Wars.   Today the social function of pigeons has been hijacked by telephones, email, and the Internet.   As well as keeping pigeons for messaging purposes, I will also enter pigeon races.   I will begin with four pigeons which I will train, I will then breed them, and then train their young, breed them, and so on.

Man and pigeon have had a long and close relationship throughout history.   The first known record of pigeon keeping is in the fifth Egyptian dynasty, 3000 BC.   Paintings and hieroglyphics left by the ancient Egyptians contain many references to pigeons.   Aristotle wrote about 'pigeon sport', and pigeons were used to carry messages in Athens at that time (384 BC).   Indeed Aristotle wrote extensively about pigeons, in 'The History of Animals' he pre-empts Charles Darwin's study of pigeons.   Pigeons and doves are mentioned repeatedly in the Bible.   Noah's dove (which was surely trained) returned to Noah with an olive branch, signifying that the floods were receding.   The first animal airmail stamps were printed by Mr Howie's Pigeon Post service in 1886, the service operated between New Zealand to the Great Barrier Island for twelve years. During World War 11 messenger pigeons were vital members of many armys and 32 pigeons were awarded the Dickin Medal, which is the highest award for bravery for serving animals during the war.

Charles Darwin kept and studied pigeons during the 1850's for his work on species.   He studied how, through selective breeding and artificial selection, pigeon fanciers could produce rapid changes in appearance, morphology and behaviour.   Darwin found that breeders could produce a new variety of pigeon in just twenty years.   I will begin the process of selective breeding, choosing pigeons for their homing ability, their speed, how tame they are, and their beauty.

Despite the long relationship between pigeon and man, today pigeons are classed as vermin, and extensive measures are used to discourage their existence.   But pigions can be usefual and give pleasure.   Pigeon post puts something back (meaning and effort perhapse) into communication which has been lost since email and the telephone.   Pigeon post is particularly relevant today- our e- mails are scanned for particular words, our car number plates recorded, our use of transport and our footsteps are captured on film or computer.  

I will breed and train twenty messenger pigeons over the course of twenty-four months.   I will begin with four young birds from a breeder, these birds will be trained over the course of five months.   For the first three months the pigeons are kept in the loft where they will grow strong and familiarise themselves with their surroundings.   After this the loft door, which leads into a wire pen, can be left open so the pigeons get to recognise their immediate surroundings.   After this the pigeons will be ready venture out of the loft.   The pigeons will first be taken in baskets one mile away from the loft, released (or 'tossed') one at a time and left to find their way home.   The next day the same, the day after the birds will be taken five miles away, and so on increasing the distance gradually.   After a month the birds will be able to find their way home from distances of up to five hundred miles. these initial pigeons will be ready to breed.

I will set up links with organisations and people in the UK and start a pigeon post dialogue with them.   I will send a message, the pigeon will deliver it to the person, and the person will be able to send a message back when they want to.   I will train the other people in the basics of pigeon keeping so that they will be able to keep the birds for a few days if desired.

As well as training pigeons for sending messages, I will also train some pigeons for racing.   I will a take part in several pigeon races in the the UK.

Pigeons and their eggs are a source of food.   Pigeons are a delicacy and their meat has been used in many societies for centuries.   Pigeon pie has been a particular favourite.   Their unfertilised eggs can also be eaten.   Although I will not eat my pigeons, I will try their eggs and investigate pigeon recipes.

The project will be documented and presented in various ways.   The messages which I send and that I am sent will be published in a small booklet which will be distributed freely.   I will take video footage and photographs of the pigeons, of races, and interviews with other pigeon keepers, and I will join the national pigeon association and attend a local flying club.   I will curate an exhibition of pigeon memorabilia.   Exhibits will include messages from during the war, 'airmail' stamps, pigeon recipes from old recipe books, and paintings of pigeons and contemporary pigeon works.

My Pigeoning project will explore the relationship between man and pigeon, the biology of pigeons, and the various potentials of pigeons- for carring messages, for recreational pleasure (racing and showing). and for eating.