deconarch

An unusual motive has chosen San Francisco based photographer Vicki Topaz for her series “Silent Nests“: Over the course of several years, she has documented old noble pigeonries in North-Eastern France, Normandy and Brittany.  Even though hardly noticed today, these buildings look back on an intriguing history as former icons of nobility, from the 13th century until the French Revolution.

Illustrations by Vicki Topaz

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The possession of pigeons has long been a privilege of the noblemen, a symbol of aristocratic wealth, power, and landownership. Their possession was ruled by strict laws, constraining how many pigeon couples where allowed. 

To house the birds, magnificent castle tower-like structures were constructed. From the 13th century until the 1789 French Revolution, ten thousands of these pigeonries existed in Northern France, yet today only a few hundred remain. After the French Revolution, many “pigeonniers” were destroyed as symbols of the feudal past.

Today, thse dovecotes are often ruinous and run-down. Nevertheless they are remarkable architectural witnesses of the past and part of the French cultural heritage. Topaz’ black and white photographs – the first photographical exploration of the topic – capture the amazing presence of these astonishing edifices and show striking portrays of these particular bird houses. They are both a photo documentation of an unusal architectural building type and of French histroy, as well as they give aesthetic witness of past and transience, history and lost worlds, but also permance and persistence against all odds – some “pigeonniers” are still inhabited by pigeons.

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About the still vital attraction of these pigeonries, the photographer Topaz recounts:

(abridged text)

They feel haunted by their past histories. At the same time, pigeonniers are very inviting, and some are still inhabited by a few pigeons. These structures retain, too, some of the sweetness of their former occupants, of the characteristics of these birds—their gentleness, loyalty, nesting and social instincts, and ability to hone in on home.

Their decline has touched me as it embodies the loss we all may  experience through life changes, decay, and the death of loved ones. The pigeonniers’ survival represents the continuity of objects long after their builders have gone, reflecting our shared history. I find this continuity a measure of reassurance.

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An English and French publication of “Silent Nests” will be available soon, edited by Heidelberg based publisher Kehrer Verlag, including an essay on the history of French pigeonnries by Doreen Schmid and Gilles Boussard. It is Topaz’ first monograph.

More information here.