We’ve already been told the rats don’t run this city, but we’re thinking it may actually be the pigeons that do after getting word that a colossal, hyper-realistic pigeon sculpture has officially landed on the High Line and will open tomorrow, October 17th! Okay okay, maybe the pigeons actually don’t run the city, because after all it is fake, but it’s way bigger than us humans, we’ll tell ya that.
From artist Iván Argote the aluminum-cast sculpture, aptly named Dinosaur, stands a whopping 16 feet tall atop a concrete plinth resembling the sidewalks and buildings that NYC’s pigeons call home.
Dinosaur does a complete 180 of the typical power dynamic between bird and human. While we’re used to towering over pigeons ourselves, the pigeon instead towers over us as we simply meander like ants below its feet. Through the sculpture Argote chose to challenge traditional monuments that celebrate significant historical figures and instead canonize the familiar New York City street bird–a bird that truly makes the city what it is.
At a media preview of the pigeon on Wednesday, October 16th, we asked Argote how he feels about New Yorkers and pigeons. He stated:
I think pigeons are like true New Yorkers. They’re complex and weird and strange and diverse, also coming from different backgrounds, origins, countries so [they’re] very diverse. There are so many stories with pigeons, every New Yorker has a story with pigeons…So I think they are definitely an icon and definitely like a sort of mascot of the city.
And considering pigeons first began to arrive in the U.S. in the 1800s–during which time they were used for food, kept as pets and used as message carriers, and presented as symbols of beauty and wealth–we’d say it’s about time a statue was created after one!
In response to what he hopes people take away from the pigeon sculpture, Argote stated:
I want people [to] change [their] perspective on not only pigeons but also on how we relate to other lives and entities in the city and around us. Sometimes these creatures are marginalized and I feel like doing a tribute or paying honor to them, maybe can change perspectives.
The pigeon is now installed on the High Line over the intersection of 10th Avenue and 30th Streets. It will open tomorrow, October 17th where it will remain on view for 18 months.