THE OPERATORS AND THE TARGETS consists of 2 series of modified screenshots and one single-channel video. The print series depict 2 aspects or participants of drone warfare, i.e. the drones themselves (as seen from the ground) and the people targeted by the drones (as seen by the drone operators). The video tries to describe the relation between The Operators and The Targets and how these influence each other through the physical presence of the drones.
Using available online U.S. military promotional and drone combat videos, I try to show the humane and visual grey areas involved in the drone killing system; e.g. the dehumanization which occurs when warfare is reduced to a combination of constant surveillance and a predator vs. prey ‘hunt’, and the role and impact of surveillance technology and imagery as an intermediary between the operators and their targets.
Please watch the movie full-screen and with headphones (-and the volume high!)
The Operators and The Targets. Single channel video, stereo, duration 12:25.
I used US online military promotional videos about drones and their operators, and online drone combat footage, to explore the relationship between drone operators and their targets.
Download the full text of the video here (pdf).
The Targets
C-Prints, dimensions variable.
Screenshots of victims of drone and gunship attacks, close-up and enlarged, just before they are killed.
Sky Above
C-prints, dimensions variable.
Screenshots of drones in the sky.
