unité de cohabitation
the abstract aim of the »unité de cohabitation« is the integration of non-human actors into society. the homeless urban pigeon is thereby an extreme example of human negligence and domestication. through species-appropriate food, the corrosive droppings of the bred pigeon become fertilizer and its unenlightened image as the »rat of the air« turns into a respected co-inhabitant of the city. A dovecote in the form of a social building made of concrete and tiles is to set a sculptural monument in the city on a pedestal above the people.
taubulor
in response to le corbusier's anthroprocentric modulor, the taubolur places the pigeon at the center of the world. the view of modernity is renegotiated and a new world of care and coexistence is advocated. the measuring of the pigeon and the behavioral study form the spatial basis for a new tailor-made home.
tauben auf statuen
»tauben auf statuen« [pigeons on statues] is a photo series that humorously questions the relationship between humans and the animal world and light-heartedly smiles at the human desire for dominance and eternity.
die obdachlosen stadttaube [the homeless pigeon]
cities are becoming ever denser. this applies not only to people, but also to the animals that live in them. the migration of wild animals into urban areas continues to increase. there are two reasons for this: on the one hand, wild animals lose their natural habitat in the monocultures of industrialized agriculture, and on the other hand, the food supply in cities is usually better. a particularly present and polarizing urban creature is the well-known street pigeon, the »columba livia«. decried by pigeon opponents as the "rats of the air", pigeon lovers like to feed them in city squares, parks or pedestrian zones. they are demonized above all for their decomposing droppings, which pose a danger to buildings and monuments - and are therefore politically undesirable from an economic perspective. the »defensive architecture« of railroad stations in large cities illustrates this problem. to keep pigeons and pigeon droppings away, nets and spikes are attached to every potential seating area. the result of this restrictive »solution« is an image of tied-up, mutilated and dead pigeons. the former associations of the pigeon as a symbol of peace, purity and love seem to have been completely extinguished. the pigeon is in a bad way. it is literally homeless in our cities. and yet it had no choice, because we are ultimately responsible for the domestication of its ancestor, the rock pigeon.
publication
the handmade publication was designed and published by rāumen in düsseldorf 2023. in 176 pages the documentation contains the work »unité de cohabitation«, in addition to graphical and photographical series as well as research and texts.
this book is printed in a collector’s edition of 15 pieces.
