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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
Rafqa Touma

Drones of the desert: an ancient Aboriginal story comes to life with cutting-edge technology

A scene from the drone, sound and light show Wintjiri Wiru in the Northern Territory, Australia
A scene from Wintjiri Wiru, a drone, sound and light show at Uluru in the Northern Territory, Australia. Photograph: David Gray/Getty Images for Voyages Indigenous Tourism Australia

Deep in the central Australian desert, I sit atop a dune, looking up at the sky. A blanket of stars stretch over Uluru. Woven among them, the movement of artificial colours and light telling an ancient story come to life.

Red blurs into blue, which blurs into green until a shape forms: a bird moving slowly through the night. It morphs into a looming dog that is struck by the spear of a kingfisher woman, exploding into hundreds of tiny orbs. They float apart slowly, turning white. I lose them among the stars.

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