Arts | Drones

Case Study: Drones are providing new avenues of expression, through choreographed light shows and performances.

Lucie In the Sky

In addition to the increasingly popular drone light shows around the world, contemporary stage performances are also incorporating drone technology into shows.

Lucie In the Sky saw micro-drones choreographed using human movement patterns to emulate emotions and personalities - inviting the audience into a world where art and technology come together. The show featured in the Unchartered Territory festival in May 2023.

The Australian Government supported Lucie In the Sky via the Restart Investment to Sustain and Expand (RISE) Fund. More information about Lucie In the Sky can be found on the Australasian Dance Collective website.

Image credit: Lucie In the Sky, 2023. Photography: David Kelly.

Image credit: Lucie In the Sky, 2023. Photography: David Kelly.

Video credit: Lucie In the Sky, Canberra Theatre Centre, 2023.

Moombaki

Image credit: Ilona McGuire, Moombaki, 2021. Commissioned by Fremantle Biennale for CROSSING 21. Image courtesy Fremantle Biennale and the artist. Photography: Duncan Wright.

Moombaki (where the river meets the sky) was a spectacle of light, movement and sound, re-creating the Whadjuk Nyoongar Country stories. The show was developed by Ilona McGuire, using new technology to tell ancient Whadjuk Nyoongar stories. Moombaki highlighted a series of interconnected stories through 160 drones taking flight over the bilya (river) and wardan (ocean).

Video credit: Ilona McGuire, Moombaki, 2021. Commissioned by Fremantle Biennale for CROSSING 21. Image courtesy Fremantle Biennale and the artist.