Italian studio Carlo Ratti Associati used a swarm of drones to graffiti this artwork in Turin that is based on visual content submitted by hundreds of contributors.
The large-scale painting measuring 14 by 12 metres was developed as part of UFO Urban Flying Opera, a participatory technology and art project funded by Turin-based arts and business foundation Compagnia di San Paolo.

The vertical graffiti was created by four unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) flying simultaneously over the course of two consecutive days.
Each drone carried a tank of sustainable spray paint and sketched designs onto a canvas installed in the city's Aurelio Peccei park, inside an industrial structure that previously belonged to Italian car manufacturer Iveco.

The final painting comprises three layers; a grey one that sets the story, a magenta layer that represents Torino's communities and public spaces, and a light blue one that ties together elements of the narrative. The studio, which is headed by architect Carlo Ratti and based in Turin, collaborated on the project with local research and innovation organisation Links, as well as Russian firm Tsuru Robotics.

The drones were controlled by a central management system and a monitoring system tracked their precise location to enable real-time coordination across the entire formation.
According to its creators, the project represents the first example of drones being used to create a collaborative artwork on a vertical surface.

More than a thousan...