London Museum site swarmed by giant pigeons in public art project

"At the time, they said that the pigeon was chosen because it had been around for over a millennium in London. It wasn't a universally well-received logo, and for many people, the pigeon is more a sign of being in an urban landscape than of being in London in particular. That New York was unveiling a giant statue of a pigeon as a local symbol of that city at the same time that the London Museum was pitching the pigeon as a distinctly London symbol"

"The museum collaborated with 33 artists - one from each London borough- and asked them to decorate a clay pigeon to showcase their local heritage. The photos are now displayed on the hoarding. The project feels a little like those public art trails where artists are asked to paint familiar icons - be it phone boxes, Big Ben models, or even penguins - before they're displayed and auctioned for charity."

The future London Museum in Farringdon has been temporarily covered by a flock of giant pigeons as a mural introducing a new pigeon logo. The pigeon was chosen for its millennium-plus presence in London, but reactions were mixed because pigeons are seen as generic urban birds rather than uniquely London. The museum's hoardings around the new building are plastered with the pigeon images. The museum worked with 33 artists, one from each London borough, to decorate clay pigeons showcasing local heritage, and photographs of those pieces are displayed on the hoarding. One standout reimagines the City of London's dragon as a pigeon, linking bird ancestry and mythic kinship.

Read at ianVisits