300 drones illuminating the river IJ in Amsterdam – Studio Drift to present European premiere of “FRANCHISE FREEDOM”. After world premiere in Miami Beach in collaboration with BMW, airborne performance on August 10 – 12, 2018.

Munich/Amsterdam. On August 10^th, Studio Drift will present “FRANCHISE FREEDOM” for the first time in Europe, following a successful premiere at Art Basel in Miami Beach in 2017, developed in collaboration with BMW. A flying sculpture of 300 luminous Intel Shooting Star drones in bird swarming formation will be on view for three days after sunset, from August10 – 12, 2018. Illuminating the river IJ in Amsterdam, the performative art work is part of the retrospective “Studio Drift: CODED NATURE”, on display at the Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam until August 26, 2018.

After the unprecedented number of visitors to the museum for the exhibition, the City of Amsterdam in collaboration with BMW, Intel, RAI, Rabobank, NDSM,  and Studio Drift will offer the public the unique opportunity to view this autonomous performative artwork. It is the first time that such a large number of drones has been allowed to fly for an art display in the region.

The future of freedom
For ten years Lonneke Gordijn and Ralph Nauta from Studio Drift have been studying the flight patterns of starlings moving in a swarm. Fascinated by the movements whereby freedom and at the same time limitations of the individual birds within the swarm alternate, the artists developed an algorithm that can make autonomous choices. In this way they could eventually imitate these movements by translating them into software that was specially developed and embedded in the luminous drones.

The artists learned from nature that imitating the natural behaviour of a flock of birds results in a kind of harmony that works for many individuals at once. For example, the decentralized management of a swarm or group can offer multiple solutions in our society such as self-driving cars or the regulation of groups of people in shared spaces such as train stations.

Lonneke Gordijn (Studio Drift): "The swarm as an autonomous organism expresses freedom, while the individual birds have to adhere to strict rules in order not to fly against each other. The resulting image is a wonderful translation of how we live together as people and look for our own place inside or outside society.”

Ralph Nauta (Studio Drift): “By trying to understand and use nature instead of going against it, we can achieve much more in the field of technology. For example, human applications can provide improvements and not pollution.”

FRANCHISE FREEDOM was developed in collaboration with BMW and is made possible with Intel® Shooting Star™ Technology.

BMW has a 50-year global track record of recognizing and enabling talent in the arts. The company makes artistic visions come true and honors the full creative freedom of any artist or institution they collaborate with, as this is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business. When Studio Drift sought a dialogue with BMW in regard to their ambitious project in 2017, the company, as long-term partner of Art Basel, could not pass on the challenge. For the period of over half a year, discussions ensued between BMW and Studio Drift - just as they did with artists like Jeff Koons, Olafur Eliasson, and Cao Fei before them.

Performance Times and Locations
Visitors will have an extraordinary immersive experience incorporating light and movement in the airspace over the river with the skyline of Amsterdam as a backdrop.

Location: The installation is free to visit and can be seen from locations around the river IJ.
Times: August 10 – 12, 2018, from 9.30 PM

Disclaimer
Franchise Freedom is high tech and weather dependent. In case of continuous rain, strong winds or other unexpected circumstances, the performance will be moved to Saturday the 11th of August. If weather or unexpected circumstances prevent that performance from happening as well, support packages will be reimbursed for 30%. And all perks, if applicable, not influenced by these circumstances will stay valid ( e.g. Stedelijk Museum tickets, Dandelight, etc.)

Visit www.instagram.com/studio.drift for current updates.

For further information please visit:

World premiere "FRANCHISE FREEDOM" in collaboration with BMW

For further questions please contact:
Studio Drift
sarah@studiodrift.com
www.studiodrift.com
Twitter/Facebook: studiodrift Instagram: studio.drift

Prof Dr Thomas Girst
BMW Group Corporate and Intergovernmental Affairs
Head of Cultural Engagement
Telephone: +49 89 382 247 53
www.press.bmwgroup.com;
Email: presse@bmw.de


About Studio Drift and “FRANCHISE FREEDOM”
Studio Drift is known for their impressive installations and sculptures that explore the relationship between nature, technology and mankind. Studio Drift is a FuturePace artist.
FRANCHISE FREEDOM, which is being carried out in collaboration with the Municipality of Amsterdam and the Stedelijk Museum, complements Studio Drift's successful retrospective exhibition CODED NATURE, allowing the public to witness how technology and nature can be merged. The artwork poetically explains the tension between individual freedom and the safety of the group, where the swarm is synonymous with our society.

About BMW Group’s Cultural Commitment
For almost 50 years now, the BMW Group has initiated and engaged in over 100 cultural cooperations worldwide. The company places the main focus of its long-term commitment on contemporary and modern art, classical music and jazz as well as architecture and design. In 1972, three large-scale paintings were created by the artist Gerhard Richter specifically for the foyer of the BMW Group's Munich headquarters. Since then, artists such as Andy Warhol, Jeff Koons, Daniel Barenboim, Jonas Kaufmann and architect Zaha Hadid have co-operated with BMW. In 2016 and 2017, female artist Cao Fei from China and American John Baldessari created the next two vehicles for the BMW Art Car Collection. Besides co-initiatives, such as BMW Tate Live, the BMW Art Journey and the “Opera for All” concerts in Berlin, Munich and London, the company also partners with leading museums and art fairs as well as orchestras and opera houses around the world. The BMW Group takes absolute creative freedom in all its cultural activities for granted – as this is as essential for producing groundbreaking artistic work as it is for major innovations in a successful business.

Further information: www.bmwgroup.com/culture and www.bmwgroup.com/culture/overview
Facebook: #BMWGroupCulture 
Instagram: @BmwGroupCulture


The BMW Group
With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 30 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2017, the BMW Group sold over 2,463,500 passenger vehicles and more than 164,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2017 was € 10.655 billion on revenues amounting to € 98.678 billion. As of 31 December 2017, the BMW Group had a workforce of 129,932 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy.

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