Drone displays have been dubbed the new fireworks, and the air of amped-up anticipation among the all-ages crowd queueing to get into Adelaide Oval on Friday night feels akin to what you’d expect for a pyrotechnics spectacular. Excitement levels remain high as the stands fill during the half hour of pre-show entertainment — a DJ spinning tunes projected on a large screen, who is outshone by the orange glow of the sunset beyond the empty oval.
At 6pm hundreds of twinkling drones take to the sky like choreographed stars for Horizons, a collaboration between Illuminate Adelaide, drone-tech experts AGB Creative and entertainment company KOJO (video and lighting displays).
The opening chapter, created with First Nations cultural consultant Jack Buckskin and artist Pat Caruso, features a recorded commentary by Buckskin recounting the first light of Kaurna Dreaming, and highlighting the cultural significance of Karrawirra Parri / River Torrens. It is a rich, lyrical narrative that informs the images painted by the illuminated drones, from a kangaroo, emu and spear-wielding hunter, to a flowing river and the Seven Sisters.
About five minutes in, Buckskin’s voice is replaced by that of Adelaide actor Elena Carapetis. The tempo of the soundtrack also changes as the audience is transported to the Kilsby Sinkhole on the Limestone Coast and other significant South Australian sites. Above imagery projected on a large screen, the drones continually disperse and reform: a colourful leafy sea dragon fills the inky sky, then a southern right whale. Birds dip and swirl as we hear of floodwaters creeping across salty plains, a red-tailed black cockatoo emerges as its trademark squawk fills the air, and a Sturt’s desert pea blooms on the horizon.
When the commentary turns to South Australian achievements, it begins to feel less like a story and more like an over-bloated tourism campaign or election pitch — covering everything from live music and sporting events, to successes on the big screen and in space.
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Nevertheless, it’s impossible not to be in awe of the combination of technology and creativity that creates the aerial display, and laughter echoes around the stadium as the drones form a pair of pink shorts in tribute to former premier Don Dunstan. Under the direction of pilots including AGB Creative producer Sam Nuttall, they form many other familiar images from a classic scene from The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert to the face of Adele — a reference to the pop star’s record-setting Adelaide Oval concert in 2017. The drones are at their most impressive when replicating motion, whether it’s Don Bradman swinging a cricket bat or a lunar rover moving unsteadily over the Moon’s surface.
South Australia’s endeavours in the space industry conclude the show as the commentary reflects that this is a state “shaped by stories, lifted by spirits and always reaching for new horizons”. It is a lofty end note, but there is a distinct feeling of disenchantment among the audience that seems to follow us all the way back across the bridge over the Torrens.
The drone display, while mesmerising, seemed to be over all too soon — although it was exactly the advertised half-hour duration. Large parts of the audio also felt flat and did little to enhance the immersive effect of what had promised to be a “multi-sensory experience of epic proportions”. Perhaps an additional live performance element or some other form of entertainment to bookend the aerial action would have helped ameliorate the complaints that have since been aired by some of the 45,000 ticket-holders — some of whom apparently had a restricted view of the drones.
Contemporary audiences — accustomed to huge stadium shows employing an array of special effects — are primed with high expectations, and it is clear that Horizons didn’t quite hit the mark. It is a shame, since Illuminate Adelaide’s program of free and ticketed events generally does an excellent job of bringing people together to celebrate the intersection of light, art, technology and music. Perhaps they should have opted for a fireworks finale instead.
Horizons was presented over two sessions on July 18 as part of Illuminate Adelaide