# Franchise Freedom drone show – Drone Stories

> Franchise Freedom, a work by DRIFT: 200–600 drones move like a flock of starlings, flown for audiences from 100 to 70,000 people.

Source: https://dronestories.com/drone-shows/franchise-freedom/

Where it all began

# Franchise Freedom

Franchise Freedom, a work by DRIFT, created by the artists Lonneke Gordijn, Ralph Nauta and Lucas van Oostrum, is a flying sculpture. This invigorating artwork is located at the intersection of technology, science and art. Hundreds of drones visualize an autonomously flying swarm of starlings, exposing the tension between individual freedom and safety in numbers. The ultimate goal being to provoke the mind and give the viewer food for thought.

| | |
|---|---|
| Client | Various |
| Location | Various |
| Drones | 200–600 |
| Show length | 10 minutes |
| Audience | 100 - 70.000 |
| Type | private and public |

## The story behind the lights

To create this artwork, [Studio Drift](https://studiodrift.com/) studied the natural flight behavior of starlings and translated it into specially developed software built into the drones. Franchise Freedom is a poetic illustration of how we, as humans, strive to live autonomously within societies defined by rules and conventions. Although the patterns seem random, and the impression of such a flock makes us think of freedom, the behavior of these birds is completely orchestrated and subject to many rules and survival instincts.

## Is Freedom an Illusion?

There is a particular kind of beauty in watching these sudden decisions by thousands of individuals and their reactions to each other. If each bird acted independently, complete chaos would ensue. Humans, like birds, find safety in a group. At the same time, they are forced to act according to many rules on which society operates. Those who prefer complete individual freedom to these rules are forced to operate outside of our culture. What is the perfect balance between the two? Is freedom an illusion? Each performance is site-specific and unique, and the drones will respond to their environment in an unpredictable, autonomous way. Their technology is based on ongoing university research into the behavior of swarms. The principles of self-organization have become increasingly relevant in our ever-changing world.

## Story in the skies from…

various places such as Art Basel Miami, Al Ula, Saudi Arabia, Liberation Day in Rotterdam, NASA Kennedy Space Center, Burning Man, Amsterdam above the IJ and Unicef in Capri. The music for this installation was composed and played by pianist Joep Beving.

## Look and learn from Franchise Freedom

Franchise Freedom invites you to look at and learn from the patterns and survival mechanisms of nature. Life has been on earth for over 3 billion years and has its instruction manual on what works and what is appropriate here. Why don’t we look at nature’s patterns more often and find our solutions there?

## Want to know more about us?

Our [drone show company](/about/) has flown many different drone shows over the years. You can find all our [drone shows](/drone-shows/). By the way, are you interested in what a [drone show costs](/drone-show-cost/) or finding out how we create a [drone show proposal](/magazine/drone-show-proposal/)?

Impact

## What it did online

Our own posts about Franchise Freedom on Instagram, and what the audience wrote back.

| | |
|---|---|
| Video views | 81k |
| Likes | 6k |
| Comments | 81 |

* “Kennedy Space Center 😮😮😮 thats awesome ❤️🔥🔥”

 @donbonjova · Instagram
* “Love this ! Thank You for sharing !🌹”

 @stormyseas1 · Instagram

## More shows

[All shows](/drone-shows/)

[### FORMULA 1 LAS VEGAS GRAND PRIX

Formula 1 · Las Vegas - USA · 1,000 drones](/drone-shows/f1-las-vegas-gp-2023/)[### Shakira at Copacabana

Shakira · Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro · 1,500 drones](/drone-shows/shakira-copacabana/)[### Björk at Coachella

Björk · Coachella · Indio, California · 864 drones](/drone-shows/coachella-drone-show/)

Let’s collaborate

## Have a story that belongs in the sky?

Tell us the event, the place and the audience. Together we'll work out whether a drone show makes the impact you're after, and what it takes.

[Get a proposal](/proposal/)[Talk to a human](/contact/)