Pigeons’ incredible navigation abilities have been used for sending messages since the Bronze Age. I’m intrigued by pigeons around Philadelphia knowing they have these extraordinary abilities but are often overlooked as ordinary or considered filthy pests. For this mural, I would work with the community and they would choose a pigeon design and make it their own with a message painted along and around the bird. I envision a large mural of pigeons that may or my not have words depending on its legibility from the ground. The arrow references maps, direction, our sense of place and orientation within our city and surroundings. It will point to an area with the multiple street level personal life size pigeons containing the community-supplied messages.

I tested this process with the people in the studio building where I work by hanging posters in the elevator for people to write on with messages they would like to share. Some of the words and phrases supplied are placed within this 5’x5’ painting.