A Conversation With DRIFT

What role do you believe artists play in tackling environmental issues?

We are living in defining times: the world is changing desperately as a result of climate change. However, humankind seems to react to the changing planet extremely slowly, numbed by the motionless environments we live in, with little contact with nature. When people don’t feel connected to nature, they will feel no urgency to alter the way we treat our home planet.  DRIFT wants to bridge this disconnect with the earth: we believe that by reconnecting humanity with nature through technology, we can create a sense of urgency of the health of the natural world and help acknowledge our dependence on nature. 

The studio often collaborates with engineers, computer programmers, and scientists for your projects. How important is that type of collaboration to your practice and what’s the result of these collaborations?

We develop all of the tech for our work in house. We have a team of over 60 which includes artists and designers, but also technicians and engineers. Because of this we can draw from different perspectives and create something at the intersection of art and technology. We all work with the idea that anything is possible, but the reality is that we are sometimes ahead in our thinking and are limited by current day technology. We are always on the lookout for the right technology to help create our vision and try to think of new ways to make our vision come true. The multidisciplinary approach has allowed us to create artworks we had envisioned for years, such as Tree of Ténéré. Combining perspectives allowed us to create a technological tree with a light choreography that responds to the environment the way real trees do.

How long does it take the team to realize and then complete the projects?

A lot of our work has had a long process from its conception. When we’re convinced about a certain project and want to make it happen, we don’t let it go for years. Because we want our work to closely resemble nature and its rhythms, we spend years researching before we actually produce the work. Back in 2007, we started researching and capturing the flocking behavior of starlings in an algorithm because we were inspired by the juxtaposition of freedom of the individual and safety of the group that can be seen in these murmurations. We wanted to translate this flocking behavior into a light performance, but the technology to create this did not exist yet. So, we produced Flylight. Flylight is an interactive light installation with an algorithm that responds to environmental triggers. The algorithm makes light move through suspended glass beams as if they were a flock of birds. It took 10 years of research before we finally found the tech to make this happen. 

A few of DRIFT’s projects—especially Meadow and the recently closed exhibition “Fragile Future”—revolve around kinetic sculptures that move in sync and are choreographed to soundtracks. How does the studio think about the technology of sound—and sound in general—in relation to its practice?

With our performance work we want to tell a story: a story of connection with each other and the natural world. A performance work demands a different type of attention: the work is only visible at a certain period in time and at a certain location so you need to ensure you are part of it or the moment is lost to you forever. By using a soundtrack we can involve as many senses as we can in the performance to create a truly multi-sensory experience. This way performance becomes a time capsule: a shared experience with the others who witnessed it that exists only in memory. Revisiting the sound makes you relive that experience.

Anohni contributed music to the “Fragile Future” exhibition, how did that collaboration come about?

We got introduced to each other by The Shed. We always imagined our performance Drifters to go with specially composed music; it adds a lot to the experience. We started working together with Anohni in New York when we were setting up the exhibition. We got to understand each other and it is always something special when you work with other artists.

What’s next for DRIFT?

There are a lot of projects on our calendar for 2022. We will present a large outdoor sculpture, Breaking Waves, in April this year for the anniversary of the Elbphilharmonie. We want to send a signal of joy and movement with an aerial performance of hundreds of luminous drones choreographed to the second movement of Thomas Adès’ Concerto for Piano and Orchestra which will be performed in the Grand Hall. The installation will premiere on April 28 and after nightfall on the 3 consecutive nights. 

Video courtesy of DRIFT.