Doctor Bird sculpture soars at S Hotel
Published:Sunday | August 10, 2025 | 12:10 AMJanet Silvera - Sunday Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
A new guardian is watching over Montego Bay’s Hip Strip, and it’s not your typical wall adornment.
Towering on the façade of the S Hotel, a stunning 46-foot sculpture of Jamaica’s national bird, the streamer-tail hummingbird, affectionately known as the Doctor Bird, has landed. And its outstretched wings, vibrant plumage, and hypnotic tail are a bold declaration of Jamaican pride, identity, and rebirth.
For Hotelier Christopher Issa, the bird’s installation is the culmination of five years of dreaming, exploring, and rejecting cookie-cutter concepts for his hotel’s exterior. Inspired by a whimsical art display at the Louis Vuitton flagship store in New York recently, where giant animal sculptures brought the building to life, Issa asked himself: Why not bring something “super special” to Jamaica?
He did just that, with the help of Jamaican sculptor Scheed Cole, who transformed the idea into a three-dimensional masterpiece now turning heads and stirring hearts.
It took three intense months for Cole to complete the towering 46-foot streamer-tail hummingbird now perched proudly at the S Hotel Montego Bay. But the process was anything but straightforward.
“The sheer size made it extremely challenging,” Cole explained. “I didn’t have a space large enough to construct the entire piece at once, so I had to build it in eight separate sections, and all of it was done outdoors. I had to contend with the elements every day.”
Crafted from fibreglass, polystyrene foam, and sheet metal, the sculpture demanded complex engineering to bring Issa’s vision to life. Originally imagined as a flat relief mural, the project evolved dramatically. “Christopher wanted something dynamic,” Cole said. “I didn’t want to just recreate the typical sideways pose we see of the doctor bird. I wanted to give it movement – make it seem alive in space.”
One of the most fascinating facts? The sculpture is hollow and large enough to hold 10 people, with a ladder leading up to the head – a testament to both its scale and engineering.
But beyond its technical feats, the project held personal significance for Cole. “Every major project I do is like a mission to prove what’s possible right here in Jamaica,” he said. “Years ago, I walked into a high-end jewellery store and was told they didn’t carry Jamaican-made souvenirs because the quality wasn’t good. That stuck with me. I’ve been trying to prove ever since that we can create world-class work right here at home.”
Cole’s work has also caught the attention of the Government. “I did the welcome sign at the airport. There was scepticism at first – if something that dynamic could even be built. And we did it,” he said proudly.
The S Hotel hummingbird, he believes, marks a turning point for monumental art in Jamaica. “We need more pieces like this – massive, inspiring works that spark pride and imagination,” he said. “Other countries have landmark sculptures – the Christ [the Redeemer] in Brazil, the Mother and Child in Africa. We should have our own. Something to talk about, not just what’s wrong with Jamaica, but what’s beautiful, creative, and innovative.”
Cole credits Issa for thinking big. “I think Issa really wanted to give us a point of view, something that captures attention from a distance and invites conversation. It’s bold. It’s national. It’s Jamaican.”
Issa told The Sunday Gleaner that this sculpture is more than art.
“We were searching for something super special,” he shared in a recent interview. “We considered a Times Square-style LED screen and murals of reggae icons like Bob Marley. We even explored the idea of installing the largest outdoor screen in Jamaica. But in the end, this bird, our Doctor Bird, which is found nowhere else in the world – it had to be this.”
Indeed, the streamer-tail hummingbird is endemic to Jamaica and a biological and cultural treasure. Known for its shimmering green feathers and long, ribbon-like tail, the bird is not only visually striking but aerodynamically extraordinary.
According to Wolde Kristos, a cultural educator and environmentalist, the Doctor Bird is capable of flying backwards, forwards, sideways, and hovering mid-air, feats that are said to have inspired the design of the helicopter.
“The Doctor Bird is iridescent green and black, the very colours of our flag,” Kristos explained. “Its long tail reminded British doctors of their frock coats, which is how it got its name. But beyond its beauty, this bird is sacred in Jamaican folklore. It is believed to carry the souls of ancestors. It’s not just our national bird. It’s our national spirit.”
Kristos was moved upon seeing the sculpture, noting that for the first time, someone had done justice to the majestic appearance of the streamer-tail. “It’s not just for tourists,” he added. “It’s for Jamaicans to see themselves in something majestic and powerful.”
And that’s exactly what Issa intended.
His homage to the Doctor Bird isn’t just a one-off artistic flourish. It is part of a larger cultural renaissance he has been curating on Jimmy Cliff Boulevard, formerly Gloucester Avenue, a corridor that once bustled with tourists and nightlife but has suffered from years of neglect.
In June 2025, Issa unveiled the S Hotel Art Walk, a vivid series of murals featuring musical legends such as Jimmy Cliff, The Jolly Boys, Cynthia Schloss, Lady Saw, Buju Banton, Cocoa Tea, and Vybz Kartel. Painted by Jamaican artists like Anthony Smith, the murals have transformed the side of the S Hotel into a living museum of music, one that draws both admiration and selfie-snapping crowds.
Inside the S Hotel, Issa has named and themed entire floors in tribute to Jamaica’s most celebrated national figures. The Marley Suite, The Bolt Level, The Louise Bennett Floor, each designed to reflect the lives and legacies of icons who have shaped the nation’s story.
“This bird is a symbol of flight and resilience,” Issa said. “And like Jamaica, it’s small but powerful. It’s time we start seeing ourselves that way again.”
Issa’s efforts may just not go unnoticed as locals and tourists alike are once again drawn to the Hip Strip, not just for sun and sand but for meaning. For narrative. For pride.
And so, as the sun sets along Montego Bay’s coastline, the giant Doctor Bird perched on the S Hotel wall now gleams in gold and green. It hovers – not just in flight, but in spirit – reminding all who pass that Jamaica is more than a destination. It is a story, a rhythm, a heartbeat.