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A SERVICE OF THE OUTDOOR WIRE DIGITAL NETWORK
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WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2018
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*The New York Pigeon* is the product of eight years of passionate
photographic inquiry of pigeons' undeniable power and allure. As seen on
the cover of* New York *magazine and *The New York Times*, Garn’s dramatic,
hyper-real studio portraits capture the personalities, expressiveness, the
glorious feather iridescence, and deeply-hued eyes of our often overlooked,
city-dwelling brethren. High-speed strobe photography illustrates their
graceful flight and dramatic wing movements (as featured in *Audubon *
magazine).
While* The New York Pigeon* is primarily a photography book, it also tells
the five-thousand-year story of the feral pigeon. Why are pigeons so
successful in cities? Why do they have such diverse plumage? How have
pigeons adapted to survive on almost any food? Why are they able to fly up
to 500 miles per day, but rarely do?
The book also examines how Harvard psychologist B.F. Skinner taught pigeons
to do complicated tasks, including tracking missile targets and playing
competitive games. We also learn how pigeons see in the ultraviolet light
spectrum and that half of their brain is used for visual perception.
*The New York Pigeon *elevates this much-maligned bird to its rightful
place, illuminating the graceful beauty of nature that is alive in New York
City’s midst. (Gritty, determined, resilient and beautiful –the pigeon is a
good metaphor for New York City itself). With this book, Garn invites you
to take a closer look at the pigeon– you will never see them the same way
again.
*Andrew Garn* is a native New Yorker who grew up mostly oblivious to the
pigeons around him. His enlightenment began in 2008, when he began
photographing, rehabilitating, and observing *Columba Livia*. He has
exhibited photographs, video installations, and sculptures of pigeons at OK
Harris Works of Art in SoHo, A.M. Richard Fine Art in Brooklyn, and the
American Pigeon Museum in Oklahoma City. By documenting the entire spectrum
of pigeon development, including full-grown, newborns, babies and
"squeakers," he has grown to love these birds.
Mr. Garn is a fine art and editorial photographer whose work has been
widely exhibited and appeared in the pages of numerous magazines including*
The* *New York Times Magazine*, *Fortune*, *Forbes*, *Interview*, *Vogue*,
*Vibe*, *Time*, *Newsweek*, *Der Spiegel*, *French Photo*, *Elle Décor*, *New
York*, and *Bloomberg LP*. He is the recipient of grants from the Fulbright
Scholarship Program, the New York State Council on the Arts, the Graham
Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the J.M. Kaplan Fund,
among others.
His previous books include *Exit to Tomorrow: The History of the Future*
(Rizzoli, 2007), *Subway Style: Architecture and Design of the NYC Subway*
(Stewart, Tabori & Chang, and the MTA, 2005), *The Houseboat Book*
(Rizzoli/Universe, 2003), and *Bethlehem Steel *(Princeton Architectural
Press, 2000).
*Rita McMahon* is the founding director of the Wild Bird Fund, New York
City's only wildlife rehabilitation and education center. The non-profit
veterinary facility treats over 5,000 birds a year.