What happened at LUMA 2026?
LUMA is a projection arts festival held in downtown Binghamton, New York. Its 12th edition ran September 11 and 12, 2026, with 11 small works and six main features chosen from more than 200 small work applications, according to Spectrum News 1. Festival co-founder Josh Bernard estimated 35,000 to 40,000 people attended over the two days.
Singularity was programmed as a LUMA 2026 Small Work at the United Presbyterian Church, 42 Chenango Street. We performed three shows a night, at 9:15, 10:15 and 11:15 pm, for six shows in total. LUMA's own feature page describes the piece as “a swarm of drones, an acrobat, and no clear line between them.”
How did the drones and the projection mapping work together?
Each performance ran about eight minutes. For the first three and a half to four minutes, Ouchhh's data-driven AI painting animation filled the arches, walls and ceiling of the church. Then the drone act began: 30 custom-built LED drones lifted off and flew in formation around Dalton Sessumes, who performed in an LED costume with an LED Leviwand, while the projections kept moving across the architecture behind them.
We staged the ground version of Singularity, with no aerial rigging, which suited a historic sanctuary. The drones flew inside a fixed flight area at the front of the sanctuary.
What did the press say?
Spectrum News 1 opened its festival recap, “Luma festival dazzles with drone dancers, social commentary projections” (David Jacobs, September 14, 2026), with Singularity and ran a photo of the performance. Dalton told the station, “We had to pull this whole thing together in two weeks,” and said the combination of dancing and drones “is one that you really don't see anywhere around the world.”
Who was involved?
MindWorks created and performed Singularity and flew the drones. Ouchhh, a new media studio based in Istanbul, created the projection mapping. LUMA Projection Arts Festival presented the work, with special thanks to the United Presbyterian Church.
What this means for your event
If you have a festival, a gallery, a heritage venue or a ballroom with projection, the drones can be choreographed into the content instead of competing with it. Indoor drone shows don't need permits or FAA waivers, only the permission of the venue owner and the production team, and the standard show fits in about 24 ft x 24 ft with 23 ft of height. Before you book, read what to check when hiring an indoor drone show.
See the act on its own on the Singularity page, or watch it open the Suzuki XUV launch in Lahore.