LOFT

With this project, Younes Baba-Ali delves into the world of pigeon racing. He explores the history, the global network, and the messages carried by pigeons, not as race champions, but as sound and art performers. By collaborating with pigeon keepers and using GPS trackers, the birds create soundwaves and bring poetry and art into new contexts.

This project reflects migration flows and a generation in search of the future. Pigeons symbolize both peace and pollution, but above all, they remain messengers, with an unmatched ability to find their way home. In cities like Dakar and New York, pigeon lofts mark a contrast between hopes for tomorrow and memories of the past.

While pigeon keeping was once a common practice in the West, the tradition is now experiencing a revival worldwide. From Senegal to India and New York, a new generation is breeding carrier pigeons, with dreams of competing at the highest level or using them as an alternative means of communication, from revolution to package delivery.