NYC’s Central Park is one of the best bird watching venues in the country, in part because such a huge variety of birds use it as a rest stop on the migrations. Am not an expert but seems to me that 1,000 lit-up drones could be both a structural hazard and a disruption to their navigation capabilities. Am surprised that’s not mentioned in this article.
http://www.westsiderag.com/2023/10/19/1000-drones-will-light-up-central-park-on-saturday-night-what-to-know [click thru for Instagram post]
1,000 Drones Will Light Up Central Park On Saturday Night: What To Know
By Gus Saltonstall
It’s a bird…it’s a plane…it’s a drone!
Drones will light up the sky over Central Park on Saturday night as part of an open-air, public-art performance that aims to mimic the flight behavior of starling birds.
The performance, dubbed “Franchise Freedom” and created by the Dutch studio DRIFT, will feature 1,000 drones that fly over Central Park with movements that mimic 10 years of starling flight behavior data.
There will be three 10-minute show times at 7 p.m., 8 p.m., and 9 p.m. Each are free and open to the public.
DRIFT says the best places to watch the light show within Central Park will be at the Bethesda Fountain, Bandshell, Dead Road, Boat Landing, and Lake Overpass. You can check out a map of the best viewing locations on the art studio’s website.
“Franchise Freedom is an aerial drone performance exploring the relationship between man, nature and technology,” reads DRIFT’s description of the drone show. “To create Franchise Freedom, DRIFT translated over 10 years of starling flight behavior research into an especially-developed software that is embedded in the drones.”
There is also an accompanying soundtrack you can listen to during the show available on DRIFT’s website.
It is the largest public-art project in Central Park since “The Gates,” according to the organizers.
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