When the age-old sport of pigeon racing is mentioned, the image that most easily pops into mind is the pigeon fancier. A fifty year old plus, five foot five, pot bellied individual, holding a pint of bitter in one hand, a pigeon in the other and with a flat cap on his head. Surely this cannot be true?
That’s what Victoria has been attempting to answer. By travelling up and down the UK she has been staying with fancier families making lists and gathering data through film, interviews, photography and notes. She has researched what kind of homes they live in, how much they weigh, how this hobby affects relationships with family and friends. She has met the pigeons, heard about the ones that have got away, been given theories, collected anecdotes, stories and poems. Do they fit this perceived image?
‘The Demographic of a Pigeon Fancier’ consists of an archive containing films, hand written messages, questionaires, photographs, installations and a performance. The Exhibition and Archive can be toured independently of the performance.
