Inkjet print, 24 x 30″, photo taken in Cambridge, MA (top); Field research, Seville, Spain (below)
Believing that it is always best to study some special group, I have, after deliberation, taken up domestic pigeons. Darwin (1809–1882)
This project explores a flock of white pigeons from Seville, Spain, that was reportedly a gift from the Philippines for the 1929 World Exposition. Looking at the subject from multiple perspectives: from the landscape of spectacle, to the economy of tourism, and the ghost of colonialism.
This project started as a curious observation. I have noticed an increase in pied, splash, and almost pure white pigeons in Cambridge, MA. White feral rock pigeons (genus Columba livia domestica) are a rare occurrence in urban environments, and particularly in colder regions; the Cornell Lab of Ornithology suggests that having a different color, such as white, makes a pigeon the “odd one out,” easier prey for its natural predators.
