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Pigeons Were The Original Drones


November 14, 2014 | Rhett Jones

Drones and pigeons are a constant source of fascination here at ANIMAL, so it’s pretty incredible to find out that pigeons were the old school drone way back in World War I. A new drone-centric exhibit called “A screaming comes across the sky” has opened in Spain and one of the participants, Alicia Framis, presents a taxidermied pigeon with a camera attached to remind us how they were once used as surveillance drones. The caption puts it succinctly:

Besides actually being used in military contexts as a means of surveillance and collecting intelligence, they were indeed unmanned aerial instruments, which might have had a different historical importance if it wasn’t for the quick and strong progress in the field of aviation. In this new work, Framis creates a light-hearted reminder of the evolution of aerial espionage.

The unwitting birds were the kind of drone that pacifists could support; the birds were just taking photos and not bombing anyone. Pretty Coooo.
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“A screaming comes across the sky. Drones, mass surveillance and invisible wars,” group exhibit, Oct 10Apr 12, LABoral, Los Prados, Spain

(Photo: Vintage Everyday, Wikipedia)