On Wednesday, July 22, Christy Hengst bring her “Birds in the Park” art installation to Santa Barbara’s Ledbetter Beach. The touring artwork consists of 30 porcelain pigeons which carry images of “the beautiful and horrible, side by side.” The images are portrayed by media texts, pictures, and other documents which are printed with Cobalt Blue and fired onto the surfaces of the birds, all symbolic of war and the “humanness” of our society. Each bird has a unique image silk screened onto its back; some of the impressions consist of images such as children playing, poetry from Henry Shukman, prose, and excerpts from Vietnam War veteran Tim Origer.
These porcelain carrier pigeons have traveled around the globe from France to Germany to Ecuador to spread Hengst’s message. The birds are a foot and a half in length and are distributed in the exhibit in different positions — some in a group and some wandering off on their own. Hengst will be showcasing her birds for eight hours beginning tomorrow morning. To learn more, visit christyhengst.com.