Pigeonese
2022
Video and performative action
Video: single-channel, color, with sound
Video duration: 15 min 35 sec
"Someone once told me that the pigeons in New York City are from Europe, so I wonder if these pigeons still remember Europe and their languages."
Pigeonese was inspired by the identity of pigeons, who are foreigners and immigrants to the United States. When I see pigeons, I think of people—such as myself and others with specific identities—and feel a sense of connection to them. We live in the same city and share similar experiences. In this work, pigeons serve as a metaphor for those trying to adapt to a new city and environment.
Someone mentioned that the pigeons in New York City are from Europe. After researching, I discovered that most of the pigeons in New York are rock doves (Columba livia), which are native to Southern Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Western Asia. They were initially imported in the 1600s for their meat. This led me to wonder—do the pigeons still remember Europe and their languages?
In this project, I speak to them in European languages that would have been their native tongues centuries ago and record the process of our conversation. The questions I ask reflect real-life issues faced by certain groups, such as language barriers, ethnic and cultural differences, and changes in eating habits. I once saw a group of pigeons eating fried chicken, which shocked me. On one hand, they were eating other birds, and on the other, they seemed completely "Americanized."
The project takes the form of a video shot from my first-person perspective, aiming to create the illusion that viewers are the ones speaking with the pigeons. It is both a performative action and a video work, with my role as both the recorder and the performer.
《Pigeonese》的計畫來自於鴿子的身份，紐約市有非常多的鴿子，我原本以為鴿子是美國的動物，而實際上牠們是從歐亞大陸來的「外國人」。當我知道鴿子是外來種之後，每當我看到鴿子，我想到我自己這位外國人、居這在這座城市的移民們以及外國裔的美國人。我感覺與鴿子更加接近，我們住在同一個城市，也處在相似的情況，在這件錄像作品中，鴿子是作為努力適應新文化和新環境的人們的隱喻。
有人告訴我紐約市的鴿子來自歐洲，所以我很好奇鴿子們是否還記得歐洲和他們的語言，因此我做了一些研究，發現紐約市的大多數鴿子都是岩鴿(Columba livia)，它們的原生棲息地是南歐、北非、中東和⻄亞，因此，我想知道鴿子是否還記得歐洲和他們的語言。
在計畫中，為了知道鴿子是否還記得他們的語言，我用各種歐洲和⻄亞的語言與牠們交談，這些語言在 1600 年前應該是牠們生活區域的母語，我和鴿子的對話內容是關於鴿子遷徙歷史的問題和紐約市的日常生活，實際上鴿子是外國人與移⺠族群的隱喻，並互相呼應，藉由這些提問來反映特定身份族群所遇到的現實問題，像是語言問題、種族文化差異、飲食習慣的轉變等等。我曾經看見一群鴿子在吃炸雞，那景象讓我十分震驚，一方面是牠們正在吃其他的鳥類，另一方面是牠們好像完全「美國化」了。
訪問的過程以錄像的形式記錄，我一邊說話一邊拿著相機拍攝，從第一人稱視角構成這部 錄像。 我的影像沒有出現在畫面中，只有我說話的聲音，所有的影像皆是鴿子與城市街 景，以此手法創造一種錯覺，讓觀眾感到自己也是和鴿子說話的人，因此這件創作既是行 為表演也是錄像作品，藝術家的角色既是攝影師也是表演者。
