During this reaserch, I volunteered for a week at Vogelklas Karel Schot in Rotterdam to experience bird care firsthanad.
Working directly with the birds, learning to handle them gently, was a unique experience that gave me a completely different perspective on how we relate to animals.
Acknowledgements
With heartfelt thanks to Aash Sital, whose care and dedication to pigeons deeply moved and inspired us.
Thank you for showing us how to catch an de-string with gentleness, and for reminding us of the responsibilities that come wit observation.
Design Fables, Willem de Kooning Academie, 2025.
Printed in Rotterdam, June 2025.
Concept development
Alyssa Merlini, Bonita Buurman
Research and writing
Alyssa Merlini, Bonita Buurman
Photography and Graphic design
Alyssa Merlini
Archival Photography
Bonita Buurman