Swarm Of 1,000 Drones Planned To Consume Central Park Skies: Report

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — These days, it might feel like Big Robot is taking over the Big Apple. Cyborgs are patrolling subway stations, speaking new languages on behalf of elected public servants and helping small businesses navigate city bureaucracy.

And on Saturday, 1,000 robotic drones will take over the skies above Central Park in what is being called one of the largest public art displays in the park in almost two decades..

Called “Franchise Freedom,” the work is meant to resemble a murmuration — or flock — of starlings, famous for their waving and swooping patterns in the sky.

Carrying lights, the drones will resemble silent fireworks, organizers told the New York Times.

Designers from Drift, the Dutch studio behind the "kinetic aerial sculpture," described the show as "an aerial drone performance exploring the relationship between man, nature and technology," according to their website.

"The artwork is a poetic illustration of how we as humans strive to live autonomously within a society defined by rules and conventions," the description continues. "Although the drone patterns appear random and the swarm reminds us of freedom, the behavior of these birds is completely orchestrated and subject to many rules and survival instincts."

“In my mind, it’s sort of a ballet among 1,000 moving points of light in the sky,” organizer Max Fishko told the Times. “It’s never been done to this scale. The idea is that this is not a commercial show — it’s abstract culture, it’s a living breathing piece of art that performs in the sky.”

Organizers say this will be the largest public art installation in Central Park since the iconic 2005 installation "The Gates" by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

The city gave the project their blessing, despite extremely restrictive rules governing drone operation within city limits from both the NYPD and the FAA.

Citizen-operated drones are normally only allowed to take off in two locations within city limits — two parks in Brooklyn and Queens historically reserved for model airplane usage — but Mayor Eric Adams has made clear his interest in utilizing new tech.

In July, Adams unveiled new, but still limited, drone usage guidelines.

The news was most likely greeted with smiles by city tax collectors toying with the idea of a property-assessing drone fleet, facade inspectors looking to keep tabs on city buildings and advertisers who were previously forced to take off from New Jersey, such as Candy Crush's much-derided "candified carnival" over the Hudson River last fall.

But Saturday's drones will be purely for show, treating New Yorkers to a murmurationdisplay only typically seen in rural areas.

The drones will be taking off from an impromptu airfield near the Cherry Hill Fountain and the 72nd Street traverse, according to the Times.

Organizers said there will be three 10-minute long performances — at 7 p.m., 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. — and viewers should flock to Bethesda Fountain, Dead Road, Bandshell, Frisbee Hill, Boat Landing and the drive overpass on West 77th Street for the best view.

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