Vincent van Gogh passed away in 1890. But his art continues to inspire long after he painted his last piece. Thanks to his many admirers, his work is not confined to just museums either. His touch is still found in the real places he once looked to for inspiration himself. Even the unlikeliest of mediums honor his masterpieces, including sneakers and LEGO sets. But the latest tribute to the Dutch master took his paintings to a whole new stratosphere. Not to mention a very famous book. An intricate 600-drone light show dedicated to van Gogh set a Guinness World Record.
On December 18, the EFYI Group out of China, with support from Tianjin University, set the new official standard for the longest animation performed by unmanned aerial vehicles. (A fancy name for drones.) The show, which we first learned about at My Modern Met, used 600 Agile Bee II drones total. For a performance that lasted a record-breaking 26 minutes and 19 seconds. That surely seemed even longer to those in attendance, though. Not because it was bad. Quite the contrary, as the show itself was quite beautiful. It probably felt longer because it was very chilly—only 17 degrees Fahrenheit—that night.
Titled “A Tribute to Van Gogh,” the drones told the story of both the artist’s life and his most well-known works. That included homages to his numerous “Sunflowers” paintings and his painting titled “Almond Blossom.” As well as his “The Mulberry Tree in Autumn” and, arguably, his most famous piece, “The Starry Night.”
Guinness World Records
With swirling lights, bucolic settings, animated figures, trees, flowers, and more, the show also paid tribute to van Gogh’s life-long love of nature, which he expressed in his paintings. We’ll never know how he might have felt about technology celebrating his career. But we bet he would have loved seeing it outside under the starry night sky.
Featured Image: Guinness World Records