Sevilla: Photovision, 2011.
Condition: Fine
Hardcover
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new copy in stock
First Edition With this small, precious, book, "Paloma al aire", Ricardo Cases, shows another side, a colorful tradition, of pigeons a sport called "colombiculture". In the Spanish regions of Valencia and Murcia, pigeon fanciers organize races; it s a sport with rules and referees, consisting of one female pigeon and dozens of males. Colorfully painted, the male pigeons chase the female. Never becoming too intimate, the winner is the one that spends the most time close to her. The pigeon handler invests time, money, and faith in his pigeons. The cost of a young pigeon can be thousands of euros and wagers also involve large sums. The male pigeon becomes almost a projection of the pigeon-keeper himself, embodying his sporting, economic and sexual success or failure in the community, for raising a male champion can bring both prestige and profit. In "Paloma al Aire", Cases presents an ethnographic documentation, as groups of men follow their pigeons through the countryside, observing their performance, and debating the rules and decisions.