The non-profit SEPALE Cultural and Ecological Association is dedicated to nature and animals. The two activists behind this initiative are Silvia Moldovan, an artist and a bird keeper, and Alin Spiridon, a programmer and a repair enthusiast. The main objective of this association is the SEPALE sanctuary, which shows how Silvia and Alin envision the creation of a safe and welcoming rehabilitation space for the non-raptor birds in Timișoara and its surroundings.
Silvia was born in Sânnicolau Mare, where she also spent most of her summer holidays. Being used to living around animals and caring for them, it is little wonder she has created the Sanctuary and moved there herself (until recently near Calea Urseni, Timișoara). In ancient times, living among animals was vital for food and survival. The fact that Silvia has learnt how to coexist with animals once again proves that man’s alienation from nature is reversible and our relationship with their species, which has become dominant over time, can always be improved.
The proposal of SEPALE for the Chronic Desire exhibition is Dovecote, a 5-metre tall gabled house built 2.5 meters from the ground, which will be located at 56, Take Ionescu Boulevard in Timișoara. The purpose of the contraceptive dovecote, as Silvia calls it, is to provide shelter for pigeons and access for volunteers who will replace real eggs with fake ones. The real eggs will be fed to the corvids in the Sanctuary or left around trees for magpies and jackdaws. This method has proved effective in the civilised management of pigeon populations in large cities in France and Germany.
The dovecote has shelves holding 80 nests and two sets of stained glass windows. Warm, diffuse light that is perfect for nesting pigeons comes in from under the roof ridge. SEPALE presents this initiative under the exhibition as a form of social experiment with the potential to be integrated into future urban planning projects. Building dovecotes demonstrates that we feel responsible for having domesticated pigeons to our advantage, not realising that we would abandon them later. Silvia explains how Columba livia domestica, the domestic pigeon, was brought to cities and used for food and entertainment or as couriers. In the hope of breaking the chain of sins that we have been carrying with us and ending their dire consequences, the dovecote can be one of the solutions that will make us aware of them and will contribute to the development of a civilised and responsible structure and to the progress towards an ecological paradigm of coexistence.