Ariana Haghighi and Marlow Hurst answer your burning questions.
Some were delighted, others outraged, but most were just confused in the wake. On the 6th of November 2020, a sculpture was unveiled in Rundle Mall, joining the likes of the shiny Malls Balls and Bronze Pigs. Towering over shoppers, a beady-eyed geometric pigeon stands proudly. He cannot be missed.
People confronted by the sight of the oversized bird flocked to social media, minds full with questions. Who? What? When? Where? Why? – Why was the local council giving no answers? Is there no transparency? Was this pigeon actually full of an army planning to descend on the unsuspecting patrons at Rundle Mall?
Rest assured, we are here with some answers.
Who?
‘Pigeon’ is a statue sculpted by artist Paul Sloan. Born in Belfast, Ireland, he immigrated to South Australia in the early 1970s. He has undertaken residencies in China and Finland and practices a wide range of art forms — from painting to photography. His experiences abroad and as an immigrant shine in his works such as the ‘Pigeon’ — as the homing pigeon is a canonical symbol of migration.
No matter the medium, Sloan’s works also reveal a keen eye for animal life and a commentary on the relationship between the natural and industrial world. Works before ‘Pigeon’ include ‘Animal Kingdom’, a collection of pets in painted grayscale, and ‘Interior Motives’, a 3-D printed network of spiders and webs. Despite his impressive background, ‘Pigeon’ represents a turn for Sloan, as it is his first installation outside a gallery.
What?
‘Pigeon’ is a mirrored-surface sculpture of a homing pigeon which creator Sloan claims to be the first of its kind — that being a “large-scale, permanent public artwork of the internationally omnipresent bird.” Costing a whopping $174,000, Rundle Mall’s feathered friend weighs in at an unknown tonnage and measures over 2 meters tall. And what’s inside? In the words of Advertiser real estate editor Tom Bowden “it’s not even made of pigeon – it’s metal.” Stainless steel to be precise.
When?
Unveiled in November of 2020, Adelaide’s newest metallic resident was released into Australia’s COVID zenith like a pigeon released into bracing city air. With the SA Centre for Economic Studies forecasting grim unemployment figures and dismal economic output for 2021, this plucky, but not plucked, avian stimulus package was exactly the shot in the arm Adelaide needed.
Where?
The Pigeon’s place of residence is Southern Gawler Place, perched next to the Nespresso Boutique. It is exhibited 100 metres away from the pigs, to avoid any unsavoury animalistic interactions. On its leg is a golden band, engraved with the exact GPS coordinates of its present location.
Why?
Sloan was commissioned by the City council to build this statue as part of the City of Adelaide’s Gawler Place upgrade. After the installation was complete, the Lord Mayor of Adelaide, Sandy Verschoor, testified that it would be a drawcard for Adelaideans, claiming
“This exciting piece of public art will build on the existing legacy of public art across the city and will add to Adelaide’s reputation as a place of culture, creativity and innovation.”
Sandy Verschoor, Lord Mayor of Adelaide, South Australia
The Pigeon’s arrival was similarly welcomed by Rundle Mall Management, who were excited to be at the centre of a feathery scandal. Rundle Mall Management Authority General Manager, Johanna Williams, hypothesised that ‘Pigeon’ would be a “destination in itself” which would then encourage shopping at Rundle Mall.
But why did Paul Sloan choose a pigeon, many ponder? Why overlook graceful symbols such as calm cygnets and dutiful doves? One only needs to think of Rundle Mall’s other iconic fixtures, such as pigs rifling through garbage bins, for the answer. ‘Pigeon’s’ geometric composition is artful, imbuing it with grace, yet it serves as an homage to an omnipresent, criticised but loyal creature. Sloan pictures pigeons with less disdain than most, and hopes to communicate his adoration in his art —
“I see pigeons as proud flaneurs, promenading through our leisure and retail precincts. They are the quiet witnesses of our day-to-day activities in the city, our observers from day through to night,”, he states.
Paul Sloan, Artist, creator of ‘Pigeon’
Although some keen birdwatchers may flock to Rundle Mall with the pigeon as their destination, Rundle Mall continues to mostly attract shoppers who are disgruntled by the pigeon’s existence. This anger stems somewhat from contempt for the bird itself, but mostly from confusion at the pigeon’s sudden appearance. Once you delve into the meaning behind its presence, and fully appreciate how it fits into a legion of Rundle Mall sculptures, it takes a real Scrooge to frown at the quirky sight.
On Dit 