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.
“A screaming comes across the sky. Drones, mass surveillance and invisible wars,” group exhibit, Oct 10 – Apr 12, LABoral, Los Prados, Spain
(Photo: Vintage Everyday, Wikipedia)
