alvarez diestro captures the essence of cairo's pigeon farming towers

alvarez diestro captures the essence of cairo’s pigeon farming towers
all images courtesy of manuel alvarez diestro

after living in cairo, egypt, for several years, manuel alvarez diestro had the opportunity the photograph the wooden towers devoted to pigeon farming. in recent years throughout the country, the domestication of the animals has increased to serve the hobbies of the citizens. with the pastime, they are able to command flocks of birds to soar through the sky in patterns and formations through the use of flags and whistles. these actions have called the programmatic need for spaces of high altitudes, preventing any interruption from occurring within the daily activities of the streets below. by walking through some of the most marginal areas, including the zabbaleen settlements (an area designated for informal rubbish collection), the artist was able to expose the nature of the structures capturing images from different proximities and angles. what has resulted is a series that develops a commentary about the fragile constructions. ‘my interest was to make an statement of how trough non-regulation citizens without a formal training could raise these structures and impact cairo’s skyline,’ alvarez diestro said. the increasing popularity of the recreational specialty has created an unintentional architectural phenomenon that will continue to morph the city’s aesthetic over time.

two towers decorated with diamonds 

view from afar

the structures have added to the skyline of the city

Towers 5 

the construct appear as foreign objects within their context

the needs of the program require high altitudes

ladders are required for easy access to the farms

two towers placed near one another

a farmer standing atop his pigeons

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.