Inspired by Hito Steyerl’s twist on the medieval riddle, “How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”, this project substitutes angels with AI, pointing to the spiritual undertones of bodiless intelligences in our increasingly digital world.
In the video work, a drone guided by AI records children wearing sensors, effectively turning them into moving targets. The drone becomes a central, improvising actor alongside the children, whose bodies respond, adapt, and play. The programmers remain on-site, ready to intervene should the technology go awry. Over time, a game of mutual anticipation and response emerges between the drone and the children.
The children exit the scene singing Dona nobis pacem, “bring us peace”, a Latin hymn echoing across 2000 years of Christian history. In this emptied industrial space, once alive with machines and labour, the chant becomes both elegy and plea.