Ko ¡ʎʇıuɐɯnH ǝɥʇ 'ɥO ka whakarite i tētahi raupapa kiriata nā Jon Rafman i waihangatia waenga i ngā tau 2013 ki 2021. Kohi katoa i ngā mātātuhi kua kitea, pakiwaituhi auaha me ngā tauira 3D me te rerenga kiriata mai i ngā tākaro ataata me ētahi atu rawa, ka hangatia e Rafman he horanuku matihiko whanokē te hanga nei ka whakaingoingo me te pōkaikaha. Ko tana kauawhi rārangi kore, whatiwhatinga ki te momo kōrero ka whakaata i te āhua hanganga porowhita ka whākina he kōrero ki roto in ngā wāhi matihiko, kei reira ka huri katoa hei honongaitua ki tētahi honongaitua, me āna paetahi me ngā pokapoka rāpeti ka whakakapi timatatanga, ngā waenganui me ngā whakamutunga.
Ko te whakaatūranga kua “wāhiruatia,” ko tētahi taha e whakaatu ana i te taha pururua me te whai whakaaro. A Man Digging, Remember Carthage me Legendary Reality, ā, ko tērā atu ko te whakatumatuma me te ihumanea a Poor Magic, Disasters Under the Sun me Shadowbanned. He ataata tuawhitu, Punctured Sky, e pupuritia ana ki roto i tētahi mau pupuri huna ki muri i ngā huarewa, kei reira ngā kaupapa o te maumahara, te ingoingo me te ngaromanga o tētahi ki roto i ngā wāhi matihiko ka hoatu i tētahi whakamihi ki (me te kōrero ki runga) ki ētahi atu mahi.
Ko ngā kiriata ki roto i te roopū tuatahi ka tautohutia e te kōrero taimaha me te arotahinga ki te whakaaro o te haerenga a tētahi ki runga i tētahi whainga tautuhinga, tērā pea mō te huranga i a ia anō, mō te whakatikatika i a ia. Ki konei ko ngā kōrero ka rīwhi whakataruna mō ngā tauoranga, hei wāhi tipatipa hikonga rorohiko poapoa.
Ki roto i a Remember Carthage, ko te kaikōrero ka rapu punanga mai i te whakaaro hōhonu, te whakaaro nui mōu ake rānei ki te Las Vegas Strip, i te otinga e tangi ana, “horekau au i hangarau kia aha atu i tōna karetai, engari i koretaketia e te iwi.” Ko tēnei tauāki ka whakauauatia nā te meka ko te rerenga o Las Vegas i whakaatūhia ki ngā kaimātakitaki ehara ko taua wāhi ake, engari ko te mapi whakatairangi a Google Earth, he mea whakamataku, he kota pokorua i mau i te whakaahua āmiorangi. Ki wāhi kē, ki roto Legendary Reality, ko tētahi atu reo kōrero (koia tonu rānei) ka whāki kotao inā, ki roto i te ara tapitapi ki te tuwhiri anō i te tairongo hākoakoa ki roto i a ia, kua tae ia ki tētahi pūwāhi kei reira “kua kore noa te hau e ngunguru ki waho, e ngunguru kē ana ki roto i ahau”, e whakahau ana ko te kore ture kore ki waho kei roto ināianei. Ki konei, ko te wāhi matihiko i kī taurangitia he māramatanga kua huri i te otinga kia kaua e puta te ihu, he tārore kauae rino – he hurihanga nanakia o te kiminga matemate-ā-one.
Ko ngā kiriata ki roto i te kohinga tuarua he iti ake te matawhaiaro o te hā, ā, ka kaha ake te ririhau tinana, te tohatoha ki ngā take whakatinana matihiko. Ki roto i a Disasters Under the Sun, ka whakamahia e Rafman he whakaata mātai ahupūngao ki runga tāre taretare hei tauira kāpeka moepapa kei roto he tūkino, he mīhini pāmamao ka kōnatunatu, ka whakatere me te whakaaweawe i te kōpiripiri tinana tāngata. Ki konei, ka mahue te māoriori whakaaio, ka āhuahua te wāhi matihiko i tētahi wheketere pāmamae, ki reira he tinana kopī kore whai kanohi ka eketia e ētahi tōpana kei tua atu i tā rātou whakararata, aroā rānei.
Ko te whakaaro o te wāhi matihiko hei tārore ka whakatakototia māramatia ki roto Poor Magic, ki reira ko te kaikōrero kā uiui tiramaka, “Ki te kore taea e koe te moe, ko te tikanga e ara ana koe ki roto i te moemoea a tētahi atu.” Ko taua wāhi moemoea matihiko ka whakakaha ihumanea ake, i te wā ka pahure te kāmera puta noa i ngā pū haurehu korokoro tuawhiti me te māku, te āhua nei e tūkino ana i te ngākau pono o te tinana tonu. Ko Shadowbanned te mutunga o ēnei kiriata e toru, ka timata pea me te tino tauāki whakamataku tonu: “Horekau tēnei i te kōrero paki. Horekau noa atu he kōrero paki. Te whakaaro o te kōrero tonu kua turaki, kua rīwhitia kē e tētahi parawhenua pōauau raraunga. Kua kore noa e taea te wāwāhi i te rota i te whenua, i te turituri i te mōhiohio, i te whakanekeneke i te whakamana. Ko tēnei, hei tā Rafman, ko te mutunga mai o te whakatau atua ka tatari i te tangatanga ki roto i te ao matihiko; ehara noa whai muri i te pono, engari whai muri i te mōhiotanga, he heipūtanga kei roto ko te kaimahi me te mīhini ko rāua, rāua, ā, ko te mauri ora tonu ka taea noa iho te kotiti makihoi, pērā i tana kāmera i te wā ka takahi papatoiake puta noa i ngā nanatitanga taura nganga kohinu.
Ko Punctured Sky, te mahi tāroa ake, ā, anō ko te mea hangahia tonu kia pērā i te kōreronga kiriata riterite, ka whakahaeretia i te nuinga wā ki te ao tūturu, ka whakaritetia ki roto i tētahi whakaahua tāera toipiripiri pakiwaituhi matakawa ririhau me te haraki. Ki konei ka kuhu āhuatanga kararehe kia hua mai he karetai kiko urutapu ko tā rātou āhua ka whakangehe i a rātou kia wetiweti ki roto i te ao pukupā o tētahi ara takahi matihiko i moemoeātia. Kia puta noa te kaikōrero ki roto i te ao o tētahi kēmu ataata tuihono ka kite tātou i ngā hanganga tāngata māori - engari ko ēnei he pūrua matihiko noa iho, he tikanga pea kua kore e ora noa, tērā pea i kore tonu.
Ko te kiriata ka whai muri tangatanga i tētahi raupapa kōrero huna, i te wā ka nuke haere te kiritoa mai i tētahi taiao ki tētahi taiao – toa hoko taonga runaruna, kāmuri ipurangi, papakarere, kēmu tuihono, tari rangatōpū, hōhipera- e rapu nei i tana kaupēhipēhi. Ko te mahi i te otinga ka kore e kuraruraru ki te whai o te mātauranga engari ki te kore, ki te kore whai tikanga ki roto i tētahi. Ka mea a Rafman ko ngā wāhi matihiko, he ahakoa aua i tūtakitia harakoretia i te tamarikitanga, kei a rātou te raukaha kia wāra i te kākano me te matapopore i te koiora, i te wā a rātou ake ka noho ipuipu, porehu me te pitongatonga.
Ki roto i a ¡ʎʇıuɐɯnH ǝɥʇ 'ɥO ka tohatoha a Rafman i te whakaata whakamataku ki runga i ngā takiwātanga matihiko kī taurangi kōpā, ā, he pēhea pea rātou i pakaru ai i te otinga. Ka memeha haere te tuakiri ki roto tongiiti, ka pākarukaru ngā kōrero ki roto honongaitua, ka pātaitai te whakaatūranga: He aha ka toe inā ko te wheako tangata ka tātaritia ki roto i tētahi pūrua tōkai kore? Ko te tirohanga a Rafman, e rua, e rua, whakaaroharoha me te kārangirangi mate-mate-ā-one, ka whakahau ko te whakautu, tērā pea kāhore kau ake.
