Centro de Alcobendas, 2016
Exhibition catalog
Includes poster
Rare / collectors item
Condition: Fine
Hardcover
New copy in stock
First edition
With this small and precious book, Paloma al Aire, Ricardo Cases reveals another side of a colorful Spanish tradition: colombicultura, the sport of pigeon racing.
In the Spanish regions of Valencia and Murcia, pigeon fanciers organize races with specific rules and referees. The competition involves one female pigeon and dozens of males: the brightly colored male pigeons pursue the female, and the winner is the one that remains closest to her for the longest time.
Pigeon handlers invest significant amounts of time, money, and passion in their birds. The cost of a young pigeon can reach thousands of euros, and betting can involve considerable sums. The male pigeon becomes almost a projection of the handler himself, representing his sporting, economic, and social success—or failure—within the community. Raising a champion can bring both prestige and financial reward.
In Paloma al Aire, Cases presents an ethnographic documentation of this world, following groups of men as they track their pigeons through the countryside, observe their performances, and discuss rules and decisions.