While walking one morning on Shinnecock Hills once painted by William Merritt Chase, Sandrow’s path crossed with a white cockeral (young Padovana rooster named later for where they met). He followed her, and chose a cedar tree at the entrance of her (weekend) home/studio for his roost. Hearing his cock a doodle do at dawn the next morning, she awoke and followed taking photographs and video. Through wooded lands of neighboring homes where he paused to crow. Along the road where day workers passed by in slow moving traffic; overhead, myriads of birds returning north (Atlantic Flyway).

Not long ago, chickens lived in trees and roamed freely alongside Native Americans hunting beers, fox, birds, rabbit and deer. Before land ownership was claimed by the Town and assigned to the Long Island Improvement Company (and Shinnecock Land Company) for development of estates. Bringing to mind timely issues of immigration, migration; land development and agricultural practice. Padovana (aka Paduan aka Polish)  are an endangered heritage breed categorized “strictly for ornamental use” due to farmers favoring chickens genetically cross bred for maximum food production.  Because consumers prefer non fertilized eggs, roosters are most often considered a noisy nuisance destined for the cooks pot.

Art itself might be partially defined as an expression of that moment of tension when human intervention in, or collaboration with, nature is recognized….One of art’s functions is to recall that which is absent whether it is history, or the unconscious, or form, or social justice.

Lucy Lippard, 1983

And I thought that it might be worth the while to keep a Cockeral for his music merely, as a singing bird. The note of this once wild Indian pheasant is certainly the most remarkable of any bird’s, and if they could be naturalized without being domesticated, it would soon become the most famous sound in our woods…hear the wild cockerels crow on the trees, think of it!

Henry David Thoreau, 1854

Shinnecock When Dreams Collide: Life, Art and the Pursuit of Happiness

Concept, Set, Director, Camera (Digital Stills,Video and Audio) Edit

Commissioned for the exhibit "Ornithology"  Storrs Gallery at University of Connecticut 2008