John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape, and Design,
through their ongoing support of the Howarth-Wright Fellowship, are pleased to present:

Dronesphere Colloquium
Saturday 23 February, 2019
1 Spadina Cres, Toronto, Canada
11:00 am to 6:00 pm

Register to Attend [External Link]

No city has yet confronted a large scale domestic integration of either autonomous, or remotely piloted aerial vehicles. Although, various district-scale experiments, testing the occupation of urban airspace, are underway.  During the latter half of 2018, rural delivery has begun in remote communities in Ontario, and has a longer history in rural contexts outside of Canada. However, the city presents a set of different spatial, social, legal, regulatory, and technical challenges. This event, through a series of panels and presentations, will address the place of aerial robotics in the city. It will feature presentations by scholars from design practice, art, architectural history, surveillance studies and engineering. The drone’s “place” within the city will be triangulated through speculative proposals, historical analysis, and a critical engagement with their use in the present.

A schedule will be posted prior to the event.

Speakers Include:
Ciara Bracken-Roche (UOttawa)
John Harwood (U of T)
Immony Men (OCAD U)
Fiona McDermott (Trinity College / CONNECT)
Hillary Mushkin (CalTech)
Giovanni de Niederhäusern (Carlo Ratti and Associati)
Public Studio (U of T)
Ala Roushan (OCAD U)
Sam Siewert (Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University)
Scott Sørli (UWaterloo)
Mason White (U of T)

Keynote: Liam Young (Sci Arc)

Join speculative architect Liam Young and acclaimed electronic producer for the live expanded cinema performance, I Spy with my Machine Eye, a filmic tour told from the perspective of a drone drifting across the planet. Based around Young's short film ‘In the Robot Skies’, the first fiction film shot entirely using preprogrammed drones and accompanied by acclaimed electronic producer ForestSwords’ original soundscape he narrates a near-future love story set against the fears and wonders of an impending drone age.

Special Thanks to the FADO Performance Art Center and the Italian Cultural Institute for co-presenting Liam Young’s performance lecture “I Spy With My Machine Eye”, and the “Projective Urban Air Mobility” panel, respectively. As well as the Graduate Architecture, Landscape, & Design Student Union, for their support through the Student Initiatives Fund.

Dronesphere Colloquium is organized by Simon Rabyniuk in conjunction with his Masters of Architecture thesis.