After posting Pretty in pink? Glen Bass brought to my attention that someone is dyeing pigeons in Venice, Italy, as part of a project to increase public appreciation of pigeons. I looked into this and found the below article about it.
Photos from: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/23293/colorful-pigeons-amongst-a-flock-of-grey-at-the-venice-biennale.html
As well as it happening in Italy, they also painted pigeons in Copenhagen, Denmark. Please see Julian Charriere’s pigeon project: Some pigeons are more equal than others
This website also has lots of photos of the dyed pigeons (thank you, Glen, for bringing this to my attention!): Colorful pigeons amongst a flock of grey at the Venice Biennale
Photos from: http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/10/view/23293/colorful-pigeons-amongst-a-flock-of-grey-at-the-venice-biennale.html
Questions are asked whether this is animal cruelty or not. And does the pink pigeon found in London mean that someone has started a similar project here in the UK?
Painted pigeons of St Mark’s square put Venice Biennale critics in a flap
Project to airbrush famous pigeons in garish, vibrant colours for architecture exhibition criticised by animal rights campaigners
- John Hooper in Rome – guardian.co.uk, Monday 27 August 2012
Swiss artist Julian Charrière says by painting the pigeons of St Mark’s square, Venice, they will become ‘better regarded’. Photograph: Rex FeaturesAs might be expected of the world’s most filmed, photographed and conspicuously indulged birds, the pigeons of St Mark’s square in Venice are capricious. If it takes their fancy, they will foul the top of your head, dig their claws into your scalp and mob the very tourists who feed them. But one thing that could be relied upon was that the pigeons of Venice were grey. Until now.In recent days, visitors to the city have been surprised to see pigeons sporting plumages that would do credit to a tropical parrot: green and yellow pigeons; pigeons whose feathers radiate electric blue or strident vermillion; even pigeons that seem to be robed in imperial purple.
Finding and filming them became a local pastime when it was revealed on Monday the coloured birds were the work of artists – the Swiss artist, Julian Charrière, and German artist, Julius von Bismarck – part of a performance for the architecture Biennale.
But while many tourists and locals were intrigued, questions were soon being raised about the ethics of the project. “Are works of art justified as such even when they involve other, non-consenting living beings?”, asked Miriam Leto on the www.artsblog.it website. It was not long before an answer was offered by another blogger on www.ecoblog.it.
“There is nothing to laugh about.” wrote “Marina”. “On the contrary, an initiative with so little respect for defenceless animals is to be condemned.”
The daily Corriere della Sera quoted Charrière as saying the project was “without any danger to the animals”. He said his aim was to give a recognisable personality to birds that were routinely harassed and reviled. “That way, pigeons will be better regarded.”
Animal defence activists are unlikely, however, to be comforted by the artist’s description on his website of the process used in a similar exercise in Copenhagen. That involved a “bird trap with a conveyor belt mechanism” where the “pigeon get [sic] automatically airbrushed in different colours. The machine was installed for a week on a roof in Copenhagen.”
The coloured pigeons are the latest in a series used in Biennales that has prompted controversy. At last year’s art Biennale, the Italian artist Maurizio Cattelan exhibited a flock – in original hues – which had been embalmed.
Article from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/aug/27/venice-biennale-painted-pigeons-st-marks
Hello Ravati, although the birds are exotically coloured – i wonder about the ingestion of dye into the system of bird as they r forever preening.
I know birds drop feathers but am thinking of systemic overload – if that’s a word? unforeseen consequences?
When i was still new at caring for bird I noticed that after spraying piggles w feather mite spray, ihe droppings had a parcular odeur – and now i no longer spray. She is fine without.
So glad you keep blogging
Hi Ara, that would be my thoughts too. Unless the dye is toxin free and safe to use on birds I would be very worried what it would do to the birds system. Personally, I think it is cruel to paint the pigeons.
I also agree that it is cruel to paint them. I don’t see how being painted is beneficial to the pigeons at all.
Besides the problem of ingesting the dye, the bright colors probably affect the behavior of other pigeons toward the painted bird. Plumage patterns and colors are there for a reason in wild birds. The bright colors could also more easily attract predators.
I really hope the dye washes off easily.
Hi Deanna, thanks for your comments. I didn’t think about the behaviour change but you make a good point. It probably does affect their behaviour towards one another. And the predator risks increases too. Very sad.
I would smash the coloring machine and throw painting color on the makers. That way, artists will be better regarded.
Hi Eddie, it would be interesting to know why the artists thought what they did is ok to do. I mean, if they like pigeons, why subject them to such an ordeal? Or is it purely their idea of “art” and have no regard for pigeons really (although they say it is for a good cause).
Maybe they don’t know that they’re harming pigeons or maybe they’re making it just for fun. Without talking directly to artist we can only speculate what they are thinking. But it is disrespectful behavior to nature and false.
many birds have their feathers dyed. Canaries, parakeets and finches are feed color food when mounting or before they feather. Then as the feathers grow, the bird looks like it was bred that way.
Hi Rick, thanks for commenting, however, you’re talking about feeding the birds food colouring which is a more non-invasive and less stressful method than painting the feathers.