*Their technique is mighty interesting.
(…)
"Broadly speaking, how did you model each of your types of drones and their respective histories?
"We headed into the project without much in depth knowledge about drones so it ended up being a long, intense process, but to summarize that process; it started, as with many of our projects, with a lot of research. Looking at the history of unmanned aerial vehicles, the state of current technical development and what is under development for the near future. We then looked at broader cultural and social trends to what other forces at play might start to intersect and influence future development.
"All this was then mapped out using a variety of tools and methods to give us a solid place to start the creative process of extrapolating scenarios, a process we often call ‘futurescaping’. In this instance we also worked with a talented friend and writer, Tim Maughan, to flesh out and give life to the drone scenarios.
"In parallel to this we also began working with the technology—testing, building, flying, crashing and rebuilding many different drones, drone platforms and assistive technologies. I think this is important to mention here because this process became a sort of primary research, allowing us get past much of the hype that surrounds drones and get a feel for the materiality of the technology. Where its real strengths and weaknesses lie, rather than just take the claims of those invested in the future of drone technology at face value.
"The five drones that we focused our attention on explore how deeply entwined our lives have become with artificial intelligence and large scale autonomous systems, often unknowingly so. Through models and the film, we gave life to these five drones. Simultaneously we continued discussions with Tim, whose rich stories touch on their background and intent. The other five drones in the magazine are entirely Tim’s imagination and vision, and together they paint a rich picture of urban life with civilian drones…."
