Drones can be cool, and drones can be deadly. But can they be Art?
The wizards at Cirque de Soleil have answered that question in the emphatic affirmative with "Sparked," an uncommonly cool piece of video art that incorporates a fleet of autonomous UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles).
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Cirque de Soleil teamed with Swiss university ETH Zürich and Verity Studios to produce the short film, which was shot over the course of three days at the university's Flying Machine Arena. The final product contains no CGI, special effects or wires, according to the production team.
The piece starts with the famous quote from science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." Then we see an electrical repairman in a workshop full of floor and table lamps. After an accidental power surge, the lamp shades light up and become animated - flying about the workshop and apparently responding to the repairman's gestures.
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The ten flying lamp shades are, in fact, costumed quadcopter UAV drones. The drones' movements are all preprogrammed, but thanks to the clever man-machine choreography, the lampshades appear to be interacting directly with the astounded repairman.
The project is part of a larger initiative by Cirque de Soleil to explore the use of UAVs and other emerging technologies in the performing arts. You can check out the finished piece below, then see how it was done in the accompanying "Behind the Technology" video. This seems like a promising trajectory for UAV development. Hey drones! Make art, not war!
Credit: Cirque de Soleil / YouTube
The 17th annual World Bodypainting Festival recently concluded in Pörtschach, Austria. Following are some of the works from the spirited festival.
The work of bodypainting artists from 47 countries was on view, under the theme of Pop Art.
The festival was first held in 1998, to little fanfare.
Today it's the Super Bowl for people in the bodypainting world
The week-long festival includes time for "WB Academy" workshops run by festival organizers.
Within the first five days of the event some 50 different workshops take place, taught by the world's best instructors in the areas of bodypainting, airbrushing, special effects, creative lessons, and beauty make-up.
The indoor and outdoor festival took place across three stages and 150 tents.
This year the festival debuted the Global Bodypainting Conference, which gave a platform to bodypainters from different disciplines to share stories, concepts and skills through speakers, discussions and Q&As sessions.
The festival hands out awards in categories such as brush/sponge, airbrush, special-effects bodypainting, and facepainting.
During the last three days of the festival, "Bodypaint City" becomes a large open-air park, where visitors can watch the artists work and check out the music and show happenings.