Grey Eagle

The polyurethane enlarged model of a General Atomics MQ-1 Predator – an American RPA, or remotely piloted aircraft – is covered in sand, both camouflaged for and clearly signalling its use in the Middle East. Cartographic designs link this new technology with more traditional ways of mapping the world, their illuminated and symbolic imagery placing them firmly in the sphere of Islamic art. ​

In the two gulf wars, UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles) began to be used extensively in bombing raids and for sending back live coverage to US operators. These surveillance and offensive technologies help to engender the notion of the ‘bloodless’ war (though only on one side of the conflict), allowing policy makers in the West to distance the public from the brutal realities of engagement and increase the sense of alienation from the lives of those living in conflict zones.​