Pigeon Paradise

In November 2020, a new world record was set in the world of pigeon racing. New Kim, a Belgian pigeon, was purchased at auction for $1.9 million by a wealthy Chinese man through PIPA—Pigeon Paradise.

Through a news agency, Lucas Castel was able to photograph the world’s most expensive pigeon. This first photograph sparked a wealth of imagination, which the author sought to contrast with a little-known practice that developed in the early twentieth century in the Belgian and French mining regions. 

There, he discovered a complex, international organization that connects professional and amateur pigeon fanciers who train their birds like elite athletes. Yet this hobby has not lost its local roots, bringing joy to residents of even the most remote villages a few days a week.

Pigeon Paradise invites us to reflect on the evolution of a popular sport that, over the past few decades, has become a lucrative international business, permeating even the most modest amateur clubs and bringing together businesspeople who have left their professions to devote themselves entirely to their athletic animals. 

This project thus examines the evolution of a practice and uses this observation as evidence of the changing nature of our relationship with (wild) animals. Lucas offers a glimpse into a world and a sport by exploring our ability to connect with living beings through the game itself and the excessive amounts of money our species is willing to spend on another being.