The Art of Drone Warfare

Abstract

The increasing prevalence of drone strikes, and the expanding applications of drones in different industries, are dissolving the boundaries between military and civilian realms. This special issue considers 'the art of drone warfare' by surveying the field of scholarship on drone warfare and drone art to date. It addresses the affective, discursive, technopolitical, and colonial histories underpinning drone systems, through essays discussing various cultural works encompassing marketing video, film, literature, and the visual arts. Despite the unresolved controversies surrounding the ethics of remote warfare, military drone use has become normalised. Examining the art and aesthetics of drone warfare helps to make its politics perceptible at a time when the logic behind autonomous military systems is becoming entrenched.