During our visit to the Hiwa K’s Eyes See Far, Hands Too Short to Reach, I was particularly struck by the View From Above piece. Hiwa K narrates a fictional story of an immigrant who has been denied refugee status because his town is not considered an “unsafe zone”, so therefore lies about living in an unsafe town. The narration is low and at times almost muted, making the narration into a more personal, engaging conversation with the viewer. The visuals of a destroyed Iraqi city and the calm voice give the piece an unsettling undertone, while the deep black background contributes to the feeling of heavy dread. Hiwa K’s use of visuals is frightening, and yet his voice is calming. The narrator also talks about how voice cannot reach as far as sight, and how hands cannot reach as far as voice. This disjointed relationship between sight and voice underscores the disjointed and contradictory relationship of having to prove ones endangerment in order to be safe.
