Some Laws of Air, 2015
1080p with sound
7 min

This essay film documents the process of bringing a drone in and out of the West Bank. Originally, the drone was set to be used by a Dutch journalist to recorded clashes between the Israeli Defense Force and nonviolent demonstrators. Often an aerial view is much more effective than handheld cameras, which have a tendency to get cracked or lost through tear gas and rubber bullets. The journalist never returned my messages, and since I am not a journalist I decided to instead describe the process of carrying the drone through the apartheid wall and contribute to some thoughts and feelings surrounding how newer technology is used in the sliver of time before it becomes State regulated.

Drone laws are interesting in the region because they are cryptic at best. Due to the way zoning is allocated both in Israel and the West Bank, it is nearly impossible to know what one is allowed to do and what is forbidden. Israel, being the largest exporter of drones in the world, encourages citizens to fly autonomous vehicles if they wish to – providing they are not interpreted as a threat. This interpretation of threat coupled with new regulations on technology is the focal point of the film’s exploration.

No actual shots from the drone are part of the narrative. The drone itself is a 1st generation Parrot Bebop, made in France, with multiple bugs and glitches that firmware never solved. The camera survived a number of recordings in Palestine and New York before committing technocide in Lake Como, Italy during the summer of 2016.