I spent the first 15 minutes or so of our visit to the gallery browsing through each of Hiwa K’s works, but soon I found myself to be captivated by The Bell Project, which stood out to me physically because of its size and position occupying 2 walls. In addition, this piece was the most ambient out of all the others because of the auditory and visual power of its display. I discovered that The Bell Project, not unlike Hiwa K’s other pieces, seemed to be rooted in the process by which it was created, rather than the final result. I was deeply intrigued by the nature of the production of the bell, which juxtaposed the opposing forces of destruction and creation. I believe that Hiwa K’s purpose is to instill a sense of optimism in his audience by showing that there can be beauty found in transforming objects and places that have been plagued by darkness.
