AMSTERDAM.- On August 10, Studio Drift will present Franchise Freedom for the first time in Europe, following a successful premiere at Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2017. The performative artwork will be on view for three days during sunset, from 10 – 12 August above the river IJ in Amsterdam. A representation of FRANCHISE FREEDOM is on display now at the Stedelijk Museum as part of Studio Drift’s retrospective. This large performance, now accessible for everyone, is the perfect example of how pure nature, the most innovative technology and society can blend.

After the unprecedented number of visitors to the Stedelijk Museum for Studio Drift’s retrospective, the City of Amsterdam in collaboration with Intel, BMW, Rabobank, RAI, NDSM and Studio Drift will offer the public the unique opportunity to view this autonomous performative artwork, consisting of 300 choreographed flying drones on the Intel® Shooting Star™ platform. It is the first time that such a large number of drones have been allowed to fly for an art display in the Netherlands.

The future of freedom
For 10 years Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta from Studio Drift have been studying the flight patterns of starlings moving in a swarm. Fascinated by the movements whereby freedom and at the same time limitations of the individual birds within the swarm alternate, the artists developed an algorithm that can make autonomous choices. In this way they could eventually imitate these movements by translating them into software that was specially developed and embedded in the luminous drones.

The artists learned from nature that imitating the natural behaviour of a flock of birds results in a kind of harmony that works for many individuals at once. For example, the decentralized management of a swarm or group can offer multiple solutions in our society such as self-driving cars or the regulation of groups of people in shared spaces such as train stations.

Lonneke Gordijn (Studio Drift): "The swarm as an autonomous organism expresses freedom, while the individual birds have to adhere to strict rules in order not to fly against each other. The resulting image is a wonderful translation of how we live together as people and look for our own place inside or outside society. “

Ralph Nauta (Studio Drift): “By trying to understand and use nature instead of going against it, we can achieve much more in the field of technology. For example, human applications can provide improvements and not pollution.”

Natalie Cheung (Intel): “We are excited to bring Intel® Shooting Star™ drones to Amsterdam. The Intel® drone light show extends the reach of art into the night sky, creating a whole new way for artists to connect with their audience.”

Franchise Freedom was developed in collaboration with BMW and is made possible with Intel® Shooting Star™ technology

Performance Times and Locations Visitors will have an extraordinary immersive experience incorporating light and movement in the airspace over the river with the skyline of Amsterdam as a backdrop.

Location: The installation is free to visit and can be seen from locations around the river IJ. Best location to view would be near Pllek, Amsterdam Noord or the Haparandadam in the Houthavens.

Times: 10 – 12 August 2018, from 9.30PM