Pigeon Panel, 8-11 Toronto

BBQ-ed pigeon was served in specifically designed 'pigeon cones.'

The participants could purchase Chinatown-made BBQ-ed pigeon in their 'pigeon cones.'

Richard Stroska from Richview farms provided the squab and useful information concerning their consumption in the Toronto region.

8-11 is in Toronto's Chinatown.

While pigeons, also called doves, are often used to represent peace, hope and on this Chinatown ad help in the immigration process.

An interdisciplinary panel was held in front of the gallery.

The content on the 'pigeon cone' mapped Chinatown's pigeon presence.

"The Pigeon Panel" was an event curated by Chloé Roubert at the gallery 811 (233 Spadina) in Toronto's Chinatown. With the Chinatown pigeon as a starting point, the event was made up of food, beverages and an inter-disciplinary panel and looked into animal-human relations in urban contexts.

Traditionally Chinese BBQed pigeon (or squab) in 'pigeon-cones' as well as dove-themed cocktails were served ("The Pigeon" for 5$, "The Dove" for 25$ -- same ingredients). The panelists were Mitch Akiyama, a sound artist and scholar, Jayne Wilkinson, a writer, scholar and the director of Prefix ICA in Toronto, and Mark Peck, ornithologist at the Royal Ontario Museum and curator of "Empty Skies: the Passenger Pigeon Legacy;" Chloé Roubert was the mediator.

The curator would like to thank Richview Farms for their squabs and Chinatown's Pho Hung for their cooking.

The 'pigeon-cones' can be found here and a publication based on the event is currently being developed.