Window frontage of 569 Nicholson Street Carlton North 3054

24 hour viewing

4th March – 15th April 2009

This installation is one of a series of investigations into our relationship with our feathered friend and foe, the common pigeon. Some animals have extremely mixed reputations with their human neighbours and the common pigeon [or rock dove, Columba livia] evokes particularly strong emotions, either for or against. Many people celebrate these birds’ athleticism, intelligence, homing abilities and ease of domestication. Others see them as disease-ridden rats of the sky – disgusting and dirty nuisances.

Pigeons have an ancient connection to humans and have been living in close and mutually beneficial proximity for millennia. It is only relatively recently, in the last 50 years or so, that they have become unpopular with many of us. It is hard to identify particular reasons for this but is due in part to their increasingly pervasive presence; as scavengers they live well off our wasteful habits particularly in large urban environments. Pigeons also live happily in man-made structures, from dovecotes to city buildings, because their traditional homes are cliff edges [they never roost in trees].

Pigeon racing is popular in many countries worldwide. Much time and money is spent on the care and training of the birds. Pigeon rings are a means of identifying homing pigeons during races. The collection of pigeon rings is an aspect of pigeon racing that is almost as popular as the races themselves, and is a source of great pride.

The audio recording was made in an abandoned part of the Abbotsford Convent, Melbourne. Feral pigeons that inhabit the interior of the Sacred Heart building can be heard. Some furniture, painted walls and stained glass windows are still in situ and the birds create a curious, sometimes eerie, atmosphere with their non-human sounds and movements. In some parts overpowering smells of dead birds and bird excrement are repellent. During the exhibition I will be monitoring whether this recording will attract other pigeons, as audio recordings are commonly used in scientific experiments to attract bird and animal species.