Drone strikes in Pakistan have killed an estimated 3500+ people, a disturbing percentage of which have been innocent civilians. Including more than 200 children. The Foundation for Fundamental Rights has been working to raise awareness of this crisis. Drone operators routinely describe their casualties as “Bug Splats” since viewing a human from far above gives the sense of an insect being crushed.
Our strategy was to speak directly to drone operators. A large-scale portrait of a child affected by an attack was laid on the ground facing up in the heavily bombed area of NorthWestern Pakistan, so a drone camera could capture and transmit it to an operator’s screen, thereby engaging them in a direct dialogue. The campaign - which became part of French artist JR's Inside Out movement - was put online with the hashtag #NotABugSplat and an informational website. The poster was also designed to be captured by mapping satellites.