The Brooklyn Navy Yard was once home to the U.S. military’s largest pigeon coop. Though largely stigmatized in the city, pigeons used to be a vital communicative resource to the military during WWI and WWII. Since they were relatively undetectable, the United States Army Pigeon Service would train homing pigeons to send messages between troops and carryout reconnaissance missions.
To honor the homing pigeons and the NYC fanciers that oversaw them, artist Duke Riley is undertaking a large-scale public art installation titled Fly By Night. On weekends May 7 through June 12, 2,000 pigeons will fly over the East River, commanded by Riley. At the call of a whistle, the birds will circle the river at sunset, illuminating the sky with tiny, LED lights attached to them via leg bands.
“Fly By Night pays homage to pigeons, New York’s storied history of pigeon-keeping and the city’s fanciers whose close-knit community has significantly dwindled,” explains Riley in a press release. “The beauty of 2,000 pigeons flying over the East River celebrates the intersection of nature and the cityscape, and a species that is all too often misunderstood.”
Visit here to learn more about the project.
-by Johanna Silver
