Homing pigeons, from the Great War to date. What is the purpose of geography?

demonstrative toss and public lectures

Saturday 22 October 2016, from 09:30

The Foundation has organised two public events to preview the themes of the exhibition ‘Is the purpose of geography to make war?’ that it will be inaugurating on Saturday 5 November at the spazi Bomben (curated by Massimo Rossi and set-up by Fabrica). Around 9:30, in the Foundation’s garden, in collaboration with Italian Pigeon Keepers Federation (Federazione Colombofila Italiana), a demonstrative toss will be held with approximately fifty homing pigeons who will re-enact their use during the Great War. The exhibition shows how the mobile pigeon coops were spread out over the Piave front and what solutions were created by the General Staff to invite the populations of occupied territories to provide vital information through these animals, uncapturable at an altitude of just over 100 metres and perfectly trained to return to their place of birth. The president of the Italian Pigeon Keepers Federation (Federazione Colombofila Italiana) Cristiano Paltrinieri, and Stefano Tuzzato, will be in attendance to illustrate the activities and aims of a sports practice that currently boasts a high number of keepers in Italy and around the world.

From precious messenger the pigeon turned into a racer able to travel from 200 to 600 km at average speeds, that vary according to the categories, between 65 and 75 km/h. At the end of the event, at 11:00am, Franco Farinelli, full professor of Geography at the University of Bologna and president of the Association of Italian Geographers (Associazione dei Geografi Italiani), will hold a conference entitled What is the purpose of geography? the first of seven more lectures which will accompany the entire period of the exhibition, until February 2017.