Pigeburgers and Salsa Sauce. Installation at Flea Market, 2004

For the Flea Market, hosted by Temporary Contemporary in Deptford, I served pigeon burgers with salsa sauce. About 150 burgers were sold in all: A lot of people did not want to try pigeon, and said that it was a disgusting idea pointing to the fact that the building was infested with them. I said that it was woodpigeon and had come from the countryside but they were not persuaded. Some tried the burgers for exactly the same reasons as others had refused them only they felt it was something of a dare. Others thought they were a good idea and were a delicious combination with the salsa sauce, coming back for a second or even third burger.

Flea Market Press Release, Temporary Contemporary,

We are pleased to present 'FleaMarket' a large exhibition and artist garage sale hosted in the 4000 sq ft covered temporarycontemporary space at The Old Seager Distillery, Deptford.

FleaMarket is a unique opportunity to sift and rummage through a treasure trove of group displays, artist’s wares, collections, cast-offs and garage junk. Showcasing works from over 50 prominent and emerging artists and galleries, FleaMarket offers a chance to see and buy rare and affordable artworks as well as engage personally with artists, curators and their participatory projects.

The social-selling-swap-meet event will last for one weekend, with artists activities including exhibiting on rugs and blankets, making, exchanging, networking, rehearsing, recording, demonstrating, curating and cooking. After the weekend, FleaMarket will transform into an exhibition open for one week; a large survey show documenting current artistic production open daily until Sunday 9th May.

FleaMarket: Sat 1st May, Sun 2nd May 2004, 12-6pm Exhibition continues daily 12-6pm through Sun 9th May.

Temporary Contemporary
2nd Floor, Atlantic House
The Old Seager Distillery
Deptford Bridge
London SE8 4JT

“…one formal system has been substituted for another: since the early nineties, the dominant visual model is closer to the open-air market, the bazaar, the souk, a temporary and nomadic gathering of precarious materials and products of various provenances. Recycling (a method) and chaotic arrangement (an aesthetic) have supplanted shopping, store windows, and shelving in the role of formal matrices.” Nicolas Bourriaud from ‘Postproduction’.

2. Pigewoo Sound Installation, Shoreditch Church, London, 2004

A pre-recorded audio track of pigeons cooing and occasionally taking off and landing is installed in the rafters. The recording is set up to begin at random intervals and imitated authentic pigeon activity, providing long periods of silence, short bursts of a few seconds and longer bursts of a few minutes.