On 10,11 & 12th of August the flying sculpture 'Franchise Freedom' by Studio Drift will be shown for the first time in Europe, right above the river Ij in Amsterdam. The performances are on the occasion of the retrospective exhibition Studio Drift: CODED NATURE, on view till August 26 at Stedelijk Museum.
'Franchise Freedom' is a flying sculpture by Studio Drift in partnership with BMW is a performative artwork at the interface between technology, science, and art. An autonomous flying swarm of 300 Intel® Shooting Star™ drones, Franchise Freedomexposes the tension between individual freedom and safety in numbers. The sacrifice made by the individual subjecting to the group gives of the illusion of freedom, creating a never-ending cycle.
It is the first time that a natural phenomenon will be imitated by machines working with decentralized algorithms at this scale. Franchise Freedom is inspired by the spectacle of starlings clustering together in massive swarms flying through the sky in thousands. They create breathtaking aerial displays that are seemingly rehearsed, but are in fact natural cohesions of movement and flight. Each maneuver is completely integrated, and no bird works alone. When swarming they are powerful and dominate the sky.