Tim Flach British, b. 1958
Kite Jacobin Pigeon , 2021
Series: Birds
C-Type print
122 x 97 cm
48 1/8 x 38 1/4 in
48 1/8 x 38 1/4 in
Edition of 5 plus 2 artist's proofs
70 x 56 cm
27 1/2 x 22 1/8 in
27 1/2 x 22 1/8 in
Edition of 10 plus 2 artist's proofs
Like all other crested pigeons, Jacobin pigeons carry a specific mutation in a gene called EphB2. This gene regulates the development of placodes, the little disks of tissue on the...
Like all other crested pigeons, Jacobin pigeons carry a specific mutation in a gene called EphB2. This gene regulates the development of placodes, the little disks of tissue on the skin of an embryonic bird from which their feathers will emerge. In ordinary pigeons the gene is active at the bottom of the placode, which instructs the feathers to grow down the neck. The mutation, however, causes EphB2 to switch on at the top of the placode, instructing the feathers to grow up the neck instead, effectively turning them upside down to produce a crest.
Excerpt from "Birds", published by Abrams, 2021
Excerpt from "Birds", published by Abrams, 2021