The Pigeon Archive explores the little known yet highly significant role pigeons played in the First and Second World Wars. The Archive documents, through photography, video and sculpture, the re-enactment of pigeon manoeuvres using re-constructed wartime equipment. Procedures that inhibited or denied pigeons their natural behaviour are of particular interest to me, such as the wearing of message carriers that were strapped to the body with elastic harnessing and the parachuting of pigeons from aircraft bound and attached to parachutes. These are extremely poignant, in light of the reality that large numbers of pigeons lost their lives, mostly through starvation, being killed by the enemy or exhaustion and exposure due to harsh conditions on homing flights.

In the Second World War it was recommended that every military aircraft leaving Britain carry two pigeons. The Archive references the incongruous partnership between the humble pigeon and the Lancaster Bomber, a symbol of cutting edge technology. Since the beginning of the 20 th century pigeons have been used for surveillance purposes, this escalated during both World Wars. A video shows the Cambridgeshire Fenland from above, the skies are now relatively quite, in sharp contrast to the Second World War, where military aircraft dominated. The footage was taken by a pigeon wearing a small, light weight video camera harnessed to its body.

A special pigeon race was held on 18 July 2009, where 500 pigeons were released from Campbell Park, Milton Keynes. The race was infiltrated by three pigeons wearing video cameras, the resulting video can be seen at Milton Keynes Gallery until 30 August 2009. A set of postcard multiples, showing the recommended way to wrap pigeons before dropping them from aircraft has been produced; these are available free from the Gallery. Michael Stanley, Director, Modern Art Oxford has written an essay to accompany the exhibition.

In 2010 The Pigeon Archive will tour to the Grundy Art Gallery, Blackpool and King’s Lynn Arts Centre. The project has been supported by Milton Keynes Gallery, the Royal Pigeon Racing Association, Bletchley Park Trust and The Milton Keynes Park Trust.