Biodiversity Reclamation Suit: Passenger Pigeon

Copied Laurel Roth Hope, Biodiversity Reclamation Suit: Passenger Pigeon, 2008, suit: cotton, silk, bamboo, wool, and acrylic blended yarn mannequin: basswood, acrylic paint, gouache, glass, pewter, and walnut, 17 x 8 x 9 in. (43.2 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser, 2013.76.1A-B, © 2008, Laurel Roth Hope

Artwork Details

Title
Biodiversity Reclamation Suit: Passenger Pigeon
Artist
Date
2008
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
17 x 8 x 9 in. (43.2 x 20.3 x 22.9 cm)
Copyright
© 2008, Laurel Roth Hope
Credit Line
Gift of Daniel Greenberg and Susan Steinhauser
Mediums
Mediums Description
suit: cotton, silk, bamboo, wool, and acrylic blended yarn mannequin: basswood, acrylic paint, gouache, glass, pewter, and walnut
Classifications
Keywords
  • Animal — bird — pigeon
Object Number
2013.76.1A-B
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/2013.76.1A-B

Artwork Description

Hope uses humor to address the serious subject of species extinction in her Biodiversity Reclamation Suits. These suits allow common rock pigeons to masquerade as extinct North American birds -- if not actually to "reclaim" biodiversity, then at least to give the appearance of it. One can't help but smile, imagining these birds clad in their bright, borrowed feathers roaming our city streets, even as we note that the damage we do to our environment cannot always be undone.

Connections: Contemporary Craft at the Renwick Gallery, 2019

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