Creating drone puppetry: a guide to technical and artistic integration
(2026) International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media — p. 1-27 (2026)
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- Authors
Ghorayeb Zamboni, Julia 
- Abstract
- This article presents a guide to designing, building, and staging drone puppets, flying characters that integrate mechatronic design with expressive motion. Drawing on traditions of puppetry, the authors explore how aerial robotics can embody dramatic gesture and convey narrative intent. The process is illustrated through lsabella's Flight, a 15-minute performance in which two airborne characters enact a story of tyranny and resistance. Through an examination of the piece's technical and performative dimensions, the article offers insights into the emerging language of drone puppetry and its capacity to extend the vocabulary of aerial performance beyond the large-scale light shows that treat drones as pixels.
- Affiliations
Citations
Ghorayeb Zamboni, J., Baker, R., Daris, M., & Latteur, P. (2026). Creating drone puppetry: a guide to technical and artistic integration. International Journal of Performance Arts and Digital Media, 1-27. https://doi.org/10.1080/14794713.2026.2636411 (Original work published 2026)