Blue Sky Reaper
In 2013 a young boy by the name of Zubair Rahman was brought in front of US congress, to explain his experience of drone miss trikes. A year earlier Zubairs family home was struck by a drone missile, killing and injuring his family members.
The “Blue Sky Reaper” is in response to his comment of “I no longer love blue skies, in fact I now prefer grey skies. The drones do not fly when skies are grey”. Zubairs speech has resonated in my memory until finally being expressed in 2024. In these twelve years since global conflicts have become more automated, however the human experience remains the same.
The dreamlike quality of this piece relates to a juvenile innocence where something as ephemeral as a blanket of clouds can protect you. The glass MQ9 Reaper Drone is stealthy and high tech but blocked by a stone cloud, allowing the youth to feel safe to play outside. Here I attempt to present difficult situations in a beautiful form. I do this to make the subject more comfortable to engage with, and to subvert socio-political agendas that de-humanize these subjects.
Blue Sky Reaper reflects my broader practice, which explores the intersection of material, memory, and socio-political histories. I examine how global systems—particularly those involving technology, information, and power—shape the lived experiences of individuals.
Read the full 2013 article here: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2013/10/30/pakistan-drone-victims-give-evidence-in-us