Scarecrow, Tórshavn, Faroe Islands

An interesting image, albeit a grotesque subject matter.

Grotesque indeed, I agree, but I think a head on shot of the 2 birds would have had greater impact.

cheers
TEX

Great print, striking image. Excellent work

Yes its gross to me but for the person who strung them up it had to have a purpose. Photo's are well done, has a faint resemblance to a mid evil town. RUN THE VIKINGS ARE COMING!!!

An interesting scene...do you know why the people do this in this way?

Thomas

Excellent work and a really strong series.

Cheers,
Gavin

Wonderful series! Macabre. I've seen pictures from the gang that Bill Schwab took to Iceland this year of the same theme, with strung up birds.
Either they are using them as scare crows, or they are being prepared for something else. Perhaps eating? Preserving in some way? I would think it would be pretty stinky after only a day or two...
The scare crow theory doesn't make sense, as few crops grow on the islands. It's usually too cold in the summer. It used to actually be warmer in the summer, and especially Iceland used to have a favorable climate for growing crops. The soil is very fertile, but if you don't have the temperature it's a lost cause.

We'd like to know more, Bertil! What can you tell us?

Thank you all for your comments. Was a little bit anxious that you should think of them as ugly, cheap and just spectacular and without any real point. But, in any case, these kind of things are part of our world, and also pictures like these, in our culture, at least, some peculiar symbolic point (perhaps).
As to Thomas and Thomas questions: these birds were not placed where you grow crops of any kind (should perhaps have pointed that out); rather where you hang up your fishing nets in order to pull out the fish and drying them. Thus you could assume that they didn't want a lot of gulls and other birds to be around and would prefer to scare them away: "look what could happen to you: disappear!". This is what I think, but I don't know. One problem: would it work at all, or did it rather have some kind of symbolic function for the fisherman? Another problem in this very case: the place didn't look as it had been used for this purpose (with fishing nets) for many years - but the bird's weren't that old at all, so why? Perhaps they still used it that way, though it looked very shabby (and very close to the town - looking closely at the neg or print you can see that the house in the background have a sign for Mercedes Benz, and they sold cars there).
It would be very interesting to have a well grounded answer to this phenomenon - obviously seen also on Iceland, as you report Thomas (perhaps the name "Scarecrow" for these pictures is wrong?).
Anybody who knows?
//Bertil

Really an interesting and well executed series, Bertil. Excellent work.

Sorry, the Mercedes-Benz sign at the house in the background is on the house on the previous picture.

Thank you Shawn for your comment.

//Bertil