Skyving

Skyving is a term used in contemporary art and performance to describe the practice of treating the sky as a medium for visual and sonic experience. It involves using light, projection, and drone-based choreography to create ephemeral artworks that unfold against the nocturnal or daytime sky. The term blends sky with a sense of weaving or giving form to airspace, and it has been used by experimental art collectives since the early 2010s.

Techniques and scope: Common methods include drone light shows synchronized with sound, projection mapping on clouds, buildings, or open-air screens, and the use of weather data to influence visuals. Performances are often site-specific and may occur in public squares, at festivals, or along coastlines or rivers. The imagery ranges from abstract light landscapes to narrative or mythopoetic sequences, with audiences typically gathered at vantage points designed to frame the sky as a giant viewing surface.

History: Skyving emerged as affordable LED, projection, and drone technologies became accessible to artists in the 2010s. It developed within festival circuits and experimental theaters, gradually expanding to commissioned civic projects and cross-disciplinary collaborations. The practice is closely associated with explorations of scale, perception, and the relationship between urban space and the natural atmosphere.

Reception and issues: Critics praise the capacity to evoke communal awe and reframe public space, but discussions often address energy use, light pollution, wildlife disturbance, and safety in airspace management. Proponents argue that careful design and local consultation can mitigate harms while highlighting climate and meteorological phenomena visible to broad audiences.

See also: drone show, projection mapping, light art, sky art.