Spaxels Lightpainting from Ars Electronica on Vimeo.

Art – you can boil it down to a kind of science with the mixture of colors, as well as just the right amount of pressure when it comes to brushstrokes, not to mention the geometric symmetry that certain pieces require, and yet it is an inexhaustible form of work that continues to bedazzle and awe until today in the hand of a master. Great artists in the past have had their day, and what does the future hold? Can we use drones as a medium of artistic expression? This is what Spaxels from the Ars Electronic Futurelab has done – by equipping LEDs on a whole system of drones, while programming them to fly in a certain formation so that the night sky will light up.

Needless to say, this will require a whole lot more than just ordinary child’s play, that is for sure. After all, to ensure that these quadcopters that come equipped with a programmable LED system to be able to fly in formation in the night sky as a swarm, and yet “draw” out dynamic three-dimensional figures, is certainly a challenge to be relished – and the end results are stunning, to say the least. Ars Electronica Futurelab happens to be the only ones in this area at the moment, but you can be sure if it catches on among the corporate clientele, or even someone who wants a very special proposal, others will jump into this potentially lucrative market.

It does look as though one would need long exposure shots in order to see the entire “artwork” come to being, and avid shutterbugs who are on the lookout for something different as well would find this to be worth a shot – pardon the pun. The end result is impressive to say the least, and the advertising field would definitely be able to find some practical use for these LED-equipped programmable drones. [Press Release]

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