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| Salt-cat (keeps them at home) | 2020 | Found text and objects, bird rings |
Salt-cat
was a type of cake made by pigeon breeders to entice their birds to stay or
return home. Its ingredients included gravel, lime, saltpetre and stale urine.
Drawing on Hestercombe’s archive, as well as sources such as The
Sportsman's Dictionary of 1800, we gathered a small flock of text fragments that relate to this practice. These
phrases now nestle, together yet separate, in Perspex pigeonholes in a vestibule leading from the terrace garden. Referencing
Hestercombe’s 19th century dovecote (now part of the visitor reception office),
the work also reflects on people's renewed attachment to home brought about by the Covid-19
pandemic.
When installing the work we decided not to disturb the current inhabitants of the space (past and present) – leaving in place their dust, debris, webs, cocoons, moults, droppings and other remains – incorporating them instead into our work. This ‘dirt’ seemed especially affecting at a time when there’s so much a focus on hygiene and cleanliness.
It's a welcome return to working with pigeons as subject matter; they also feature in Solid Air (2014), Columbarium (2014) and pigeon steps (2019). At the same time, it extends a series of text-based works and proposals made with Megan Calver over the past two years that began with Turn (the) Leaves in 2018.
When installing the work we decided not to disturb the current inhabitants of the space (past and present) – leaving in place their dust, debris, webs, cocoons, moults, droppings and other remains – incorporating them instead into our work. This ‘dirt’ seemed especially affecting at a time when there’s so much a focus on hygiene and cleanliness.
It's a welcome return to working with pigeons as subject matter; they also feature in Solid Air (2014), Columbarium (2014) and pigeon steps (2019). At the same time, it extends a series of text-based works and proposals made with Megan Calver over the past two years that began with Turn (the) Leaves in 2018.
The cards with text that form part of Salt-cat were screen-printed for us by George Barron at Double Elephant Print Workshop.
'Open-Up' - a series of outdoor commissions curated by Tim Martin
From 12 August 2020 (new works added on a rolling basis) - Wed-Sun 10am-6pm
Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton, Somerset TA2 8LG
https://www.hestercombe.com/gallery/
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