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Expect to here a lot of buzz this spring over a new exhibit about drones at The Intrepid Air & Space Museum—thanks, in no small part, to a “flying” dress designed for Lady Gaga that will serve as the show’s centerpiece.
New York is no stranger to drones, of course, but aside from knowing that drones can deliver missiles (and hopefully, someday, packages from Amazon) to their front doors, most New Yorkers probably don’t know all that much about the technology. The Intrepid show, titled “Drones: Is the Sky the Limit?,” aims to remedy that with a look at drones, and their surprisingly long (dating to World War I) history. Opening May 10, the exhibit will feature all kinds of actual drones along with model airplanes, photos, blueprints for future designs, and yes, the dress. Dubbed the Volantis, the garment is really a remotely controlled platform capable of moving several feet off the ground courtesy of rotors mounted to the end of six arms that radiate from a central post, rising behind the pilot (in this case, Gaga). There’s a cockpit of sorts fronted by a female torso molded out of carbon fiber (the rest of the vehicle is made out of titanium).
Created especially for Gaga, the Volantis was developed by London-based fashion and technology company Studio XO, and was originally test flown in 2013 inside a Brooklyn warehouse. No word yet on whether Gaga will drop by the Intrepid show and take it for another spin.