“The birds have to keep a safe distance from each other while staying safe from possible aggressors; this makes them fly close together to form dark spots in their formation so the attacker cannot pinpoint an individual bird.”

Studio Drift’s concept for Flylight is inspired by flight patterns found in flocks of birds. The idea is to determine behavioral patterns and transpose then into a seemingly arbitrary ensembles of light sources. The installation is made up of 160 glass tubes which interact with the viewers through sensors that translate changes in the environment to computer stimulations. The impulses drive the electronics, making the lights react as if they were a flock of birds maneuvering away from or towards the attacker/viewer.

Behavior is not programmed to a repeated pattern, as each light is controlled individually, but is dependent on the DNA that has been given to the group. The “free will” of the group creates situations in which the flock can either move away or attack the viewers as a defense strategy.

The light installation was presented at the FOO (Flight of Objects) Dutch designers’ group exhibition at Ventura Lambrate in Milan, along with other new projects of Studio Drift.