Following a client workshops I had the pleasure to visit the annual water show in the Autostadt in Wolfsburg. It is a great spectacle with music, light effects and the elements of water and fire, which are set to different music in an impressive manner in scene. The many visitors were enthusiastic. The show played with beautiful lighting effects and the water was sometimes calm, sometimes playful, accompanied by French chanson, sometimes elegant and graceful with classical music, sometimes hard and futuristic, supported by Daft Punk or other house music.
Foto: L.Güntsche
It was impressive to see how different the element of water can appea , especially if it is in conjunction with the element of fire. In the front rows, a pleasant mixture of water droplets, cool and also heat was felt through the flames of the fire. Genuine mood. Real feelings .
The whole sky lit up. But if you looked closely, it was brightened not only because of water and fire elements and the lighting effects, but also through the many smartphone screens, which were held in the sky by the visitors.
Foto: L.Güntsche
So this is the “new normal”, I thought, and caught myself also doing the same thing. We knows it from concerts and other events we attend, everywhere smartphones above all heads enlighten the sky. This digital eye is sometimes even extended for an even better view or picture with the somewhat ridiculous appearing Selfie sticks. Full commitment and everything at hand. Only to get the best live recording for Periscope, the best Instagram shot , to get a quick impression for Twitter or some Likes on Facebook. Or even to simply share the beautiful experience with a loved one at home. However, one eye is on the real life experience with the other eye we follow the scenery through our digital screen.
The technology, be it a smartphone, a tablet or a wearable seems to have become a part of each personal experience. Fastly checking-in with Swarm here, a video and a group Selfie there. Reality and virtuality seem to have become one. Digital eye and real eye are fused. Technology and humans seem to have merged .
However, an especially exciting observation I could make especially after the actual show.
Suddenly – as if coming from nowhere – appeared a drone in the sky.
Everybody instantly was getting really excited and pointed to the drone. Shortly thereafter, we were warmly invited to please leave the Autostadt or at least to move further away and keep some distance. Why? Because they wanted to shoot a drone-video. “Please go now . The drone would now like to enjoy the show.”- I joked. But in fact within a few minutes, the Autostadt in Wolfsburg was almost completely empty – most people had basically been sent home by the drone. Technology beats human.
Us technology-lovers remained that night for an other moment – with some distance of course so the drone would have good view. Now we could all watch the drone in action. What a picture!
Deserted place, a bombastic show – even better and longer than the official previously one for the human visitors. And in the middle of it all just one single official vistor on the best seat:
A Drone.
Audi has recently published a brilliant spot in which they adjust a drone war, inspired by Hitchcock ‘s film “The Birds” . Just watch for yourself:
https://youtu.be/Hc6VwnX_JJc
