This is an exhibition I visited in the Milton Keynes Gallery which is a presentation a new body of work by the Australian - born aritist Lyndall Phelps.
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. When I first saw what the exhibition entailed I didn't think it would be very interested but looking at the amount of dedication and research that has gone into each individual piece I was impressed with the discipline that Phelps has demonstrated.
An example of the artist's depth into research is when three replica transport cases are crafted as well and thirty- two brown oil harnesses that the pigeon would have worn to carry secret information. Each individual harness was meticulously handmade by Phelps resulting in a very detailed piece of work.
One of the pieces that I though was particularly interesting was the enigmatic film made by the artist in 2008 in which a light- weight surveillance camera is strapped to a pigeon and then released in flight over Cambridgeshire, which was once littered with military air traffic. The film results in a dizzy, spiraling documentation of the landscape in the very motion of the bird.
I really liked the way this piece interacts with the audience, it is quite hard on the eyes as it is a continuous motion but I found myself watching it, I captured some of the film in the video link below.
Overall I found the exhibition very interested and inspiring, I like the way the artists has taken a not very well known or even interesting subject and interpreted it in their own way resulting in an exhibition of intricacy and devotion which is informative and educational.
Take a look at her website at www.lyndallphelps.com to see the exhibition and some of her other projects.
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