ISABELLA'S FLIGHT: AERIAL SYSTEM FOR PUPPETRY WITH DRONES

2026-07-22

ISABELLA'S FLIGHT merges art & technology to create animated characters in the sky. The project proposes the development of an experimental system of aerial puppetry through the creation of an artistic performance called ISABELLA'S FLIGHT, featuring a comic interaction between Isabella and El Capitan. The characters are inspired by Commedia dell'arte and use humor, irony, and exaggeration to expose and engage with social issues. The primary challenge of this project is creating embodied, lifelike puppets manipulated by in-flight. This fellowship will be carried out in the Université Catholique de Louvain, Belgium, under the supervision of Professor Pierre Latteur, at the School of Engineering. As part of this research I will carry out a puppet theatre secondment at the Curious School of Puppetry, in the UK; and work in partnership with Luxemburg University and the drone company /RC-Take off, from Belgium. Methodologically, the project is oriented towards the framework of research-creation, an outline for projects that integrates theory with creative processes and experimental components. This approach will show a non-conventional use of drones, taking them out of the usual realms, to create art. The exploratory research contains six phases: -WP1- Project Management; -WP2 - Artistic Design, to create the performance's plot, and the character's body and choreography; -WP3 - Implementation of Flight Plan to create the drone's flight trajectory; -WP4 - Custom Building the Drones, compatible with the puppetry show; -WP5 - Implement Fly Management System, to generate the choreography in real-time, including methods of localization and communication of the drones; -WP6 – Dissemination and Communication, through a public demonstration of the performance, and an exhibit in a prestigious art museum or festival, scientific publications, and a project website.

Belgium

2026-02-15