Architect Carlo Ratti's design studio has utilized drone technology to produce a crowdsourced work of art in Turin, Italy. Measuring in at 46 x 39 feet, the project was developed as part of UFO-Urban Flying Opera, a participatory technology and art project funded by Compagnia di San Paolo.

Created by four UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) working in unison for two straight days, the vertical graffiti has proved to be the result of a fruitful experiment. According to Ratti's firm, this marked the first time a swarm of drones were employed to create a collaborative piece of art. 

Crowdsourcing was a foundational building block in the project. The final product was the result of feedback received from over a thousand participants. The public was invited to contribute visual content that conveyed their thoughts, hopes, and ideas regarding what cities should look like.

“The city is an open canvas, where people can inscribe their stories in many ways,” says Ratti.“Such processes have always been happening; however, with UFO we tried to accelerate them, using drone technology to allow for a new use of painting as a means of expression.” Indeed, an exciting exploration that sets a compelling precedent for the technological future in art and design.