To Look Down from the Sky is an installation that features a video excerpt from a reenactment of Operation Eagle Claw, carried out by a group of military simulation fans who engage in real-time, virtual air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions within multiplayer digital battlefield games. The hour-long video begins with taking off from the U.S. aircraft carrier, stationed off the southern coast of Iran, and follows the rescue mission in which American special forces attempt to rescue U.S. hostages held on Iranian soil. The virtual reenactment takes a speculative turn, reimagining the disastrous end of the previously failed April 1980 U.S. mission as accomplished.

The theatricality of military operations through virtual simulation is further emphasized by the curtained tarp in the installation. The black tarp references the oil-soaked spectacle of war. The placement of limestones covered with crude oil serves as a benchmark, grounding the installation in the underlying imperial interest in controlling oil-rich landscapes through military intervention. The draped curve simulates the loss of horizon in an aerial view, while the parallel blue curtain, visible through the square openings in the black curtain, creates a perplexing depth effect. The material properties of the tarp allow for dual functionality with movement: as a lightweight material, it can be easily transported across terrain, while also being used to obscure the transportation of military assets from aerial surveillance.

TO LOOK DOWN FROM THE SKY >>