Lecture by Kathrin Maurer “Eyes in the Sky: Drone Art and The Military Optics of Remote Warfare”
On Wednesday, November 19 at 18:30, we invite you to attend a lecture by Kathrin Maurer “Eyes in the Sky: Drone Art and The Military Optics of Remote Warfare” as part of the public program accompanying Lesia Khomenko’s exhibition “Imaginary distance”.
The event will take place on the 4th floor of PinchukArtCentre, at the exhibition space. Participation is free with prior registration. The number of seats is limited.
The event will be held in English.
- How do military drones “see” the world?
- What kinds of images do drones generate, and how are these images disseminated and interpreted?
- How do these visual outputs shape our understanding and experience of war and violence?
This talk will explore these questions by looking at drone art —artistic and creative practices that critically engage with military drone operations across media, such as painting, digital art, and installation. We will discuss works by the artists Trevor Paglen, Omer Fast, James Bridle, Mhawish Chisthy, and Lesia Khomenko.
Drone art offers a powerful reflection on the militarized gaze: how it frames the human body, the role and perception of the drone pilot, and the forms of violence enacted through remote technologies. By negotiating the visual power embedded in drone imagery, these aesthetic works can challenge dominant narratives and open up new ways of seeing and understanding contemporary warfare.
After the lecture, visitors are invited to join a shared conversation—comment, ask questions and reflect together.
About the lecturer:
Kathrin Maurer (Phd; Dr. habil.) is employed as Full Professor for Culture and Technology at the University of Southern Denmark (Odense, Denmark) and is the leader of the Center for Culture and Technology. She is the principal investigator of “Drone Imaginaries and Communities” (a research cluster sponsored by the Danish Research Council) and of “The Aesthetics of Biomachines and the Question of Life” (a research cluster sponsored by The Velux Foundations). She has published the monograph The Sensorium of the Drone and Communities (MIT Press, 2023, open access) and has conducted research on drone warfare, visual culture, and nineteenth-century history [(Visualizing History: The Power of the Image in Nineteenth-Century Historicism (Walter de Gruyter, 2013); Visualizing War: Emotions, Technology, and Communities (anthology; Routledge, 2017); Military Drone Imaginaries and the Power of Vision (anthology; Manchester University Press, 2021). She has received grants from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, the Carlsberg Foundation, Annette Kade Foundation, and the Mellon Foundation. She has a PhD from Columbia University (NY) and has given over 60 international lectures.
