MICHAEL KIEFFER

When the pigeons decide to reside on their balcony, two roommates declare war on the birds. What begins as an annoyance quickly turns into full blown war, with the characters calling on reinforcements, developing new weapons and establishing intelligence services. The battle intensifies as their tactics become increasingly absurd, ultimately leading to the destruction of the very space they aimed to protect. At the conclusion of the war, the soldiers uncover the pigeon’s purpose for being on the balcony, leading to a moment of realization and surrender.

War on the Pigeons is a narrative project exploring the relationship between urbanization and nature. It poses the question of how humans perceive wildlife in urban settings and what classifies them as problem animals. It tells the story on how human expansion and urbanization has caused conflict for wildlife and critiques our instinct to eradicate before fully understanding.

Underneath the narrative, this project delves into themes of masculinity, particularly the ways in which violence and war are normalized in the play and socialization of boys from a young age. This normalization has lasting impacts, shaping how boys, and later men, approach conflict and problem-solving in adulthood.

Through humor and absurdity, War on the Pigeons invites viewers to question their own relationship with nature. It serves as both a critique of urban living and a reflection on the ways play and conflict are interconnected in human experience.