New York City Nature Scene, Soft-Sculpture Pigeon ‘FlashFlocks’ by Tina Trachtenburg That Look Very Real

New York City Nature Scene
photo by Scott Beale

New York City artist and performer Tina Trachtenburg aka Mother Pigeon, crafts incredibly real-looking pigeons and other urban wildlife inspired by those she encounters. Her series is called “New York City Nature Scene” in which she creates a “flashflock outstallation” of pigeons pecking at the ground in a park or street corner, with rats and garbage real enough for passersby to do a double-take. Tina explains her fascination with the birds on her Facebook page.

As soon as I moved to New York City in the late 1980s, I fell in love with the pigeons. I’ve always loved all animals. A couple of years ago i noticed that there was a flock of pigeons living on our roof. I started feeding them. Now they all know me and when I leave the house to run errands, they follow me down the block. I carry a lunchsack of birdseed with me everyday to feed the pigeons as I go about my day, walking down the street. I’m a believer that art should be functional. I have thought about making stuffed pigeons in the past but I didn’t since I didn’t think it would be a functional thing. So, I just made one. He came out well, so I made a flock. I found that by displaying them around the city, they earned a purpose as an animal rights installation bringing awareness to people about the plight of the pigeon population. My art has become a way to show love for pigeons.

Tina and Pigeon

Rats

Pigeons and Birds

Indoor Flock

Pigeons

photos via Tina Trachtenburg

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.