Drones are considered the most important war technology since the invention of the atomic bomb. Drones can be deployed remotely, e.g. for targeted military operations, without endangering any other crew on board. At present, drones are not yet autonomous systems that make their own decisions. However, in combination with artificial intelligence, they can become sinister weapons of war. This development into learning and autonomously operating machines raises ethical questions that need to be considered, especially against the backdrop of economic and military interests.
As unmanned aerial vehicles, drones are not only used in the military sector, but also for a wide variety of civilian purposes, including border control, surveillance, data collection, agriculture and the service sector. Drones have thus arrived on the mass market.
Today’s drones are further developments of unmanned balloons, remote-controlled weapons and model airplanes for civilian and military purposes. Based on this historical context, the exhibition examines the use of drones and their hybrid function as toys, war technology and economic factor. As a technology that unites absolute opposites, the exhibition shows its contradictory nature in all its facets.
Curators: Dr. Claudia Emmert, Ina Neddermeyer, Jürgen Bleibler
Participating artists: Ignacio Acosta, Korakrit Arunanondchai, Anohni, Frédérick A. Belzile, James Bridle, Gonçalo F. Cardoso & Ruben Pater, Omer Fast, Adam Harvey, Lawrence Lek, Martha Rosler, Raphaela Vogel
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