Last week was the launch for this term's studio project. We continue with the notion of the city as an event space - this time we focus on the character of the urban spaces and how the colourful individuals that occupy and reside in them can define these. The students undertook a walking tour of Digbeth, the project site, to observe and record the physical character of the area as a complex network of canals, viaducts, factories, rivers and railways.

Pigeons are occupants of the city just as much as us – they inhabit architectural space that suits their ecological requirements, sensitive to biological needs and for survival. Often misunderstood, the common feral pigeon thrives under urban living. However, there are those who consider the birds as a unique and fascinating species. Pigeon fancying is a sport and way of life. Rarely seen, hardly understood, usually in a man’s private space. The ‘fanciers’ are individuals fostered from normality but seen as eccentric because their unique interest.

Project Pigeon is a local art initiative looking into the world of pigeon fancying and their daily lives as well as promoting a better understanding of the sport and birds themselves. Project Pigeon seek to engage the wider community with creative work that reveals a particular aspect of an eccentric tradition contributing to the culture of the city. We shall be working with project pigeon as the students begin to develop a loft and house for animal and owner.
www.project-pigeon.co.uk