Enviro News Asia, Jakarta — The Rectorate Building of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jakarta momentarily transformed into a quiet space filled with resonant echoes. On Wednesday, 26 November 2025, two figures stood before a pair of expressionist photographs: the rector, Prof. Dr. Anter Venus, M.A., Comm., and Dr. Muhammad Fauzi, S.Des., M.Ds., Indonesia’s first Deaf doctoral graduate in photographic arts. Between them flowed a conversation conveyed partly through sign language and partly through visual imagery—two mediums that speak deeper than words.
The meeting was part of the Exhibition of the Study Program of Film, Television, and Media (KFTVM) at UPNVJ, which this year features a series of experimental student works alongside pieces by two guest photography maestros. Among walls filled with social visual narratives, two of Fauzi’s works became the central focus: Our Justice and Gerak yang Memanggil (The Motion That Calls).
Fauzi’s works are more than photographs—they are experiences. Our Justice presents golden streaks radiating from hand movements, as though cutting through darkness with dignified light. Behind the multiple-exposure technique appears sign language captured not merely as symbols, but as resistance. Fauzi describes it as a metaphor for the “silent scream” of the Deaf community in confronting audism and ableism that still permeate public spaces.
Meanwhile, Gerak yang Memanggil carries a more delicate tone. Using motion blur, Fauzi captures subtle ripples of hand movements drifting like primordial pulses of light. The visual invites viewers to reconsider the meaning of sound—reminding them that true sound does not always emerge from vocal cords but from the vibrations of human experience.
Rector Anter Venus paused in contemplation before asking, through an interpreter, how Fauzi constructed his visual language. Their discussion evolved into a philosophical dialogue about art, justice, and the ways humans discover their voice in environments that are not always welcoming to difference.
Fauzi explained that his lack of hearing sharpens his sensitivity to light. Sign language, for him, is not merely a communication tool but an aesthetic movement worthy of celebration in contemporary photography. “Hand movements carry emotions that do not require sound,” he said.
Prof. Venus welcomed this perspective as a reinforcement of the university’s commitment to inclusivity. “Dr. Fauzi’s presence demonstrates that creativity knows no physical boundaries. Art itself provides a space where diversity becomes strength,” he remarked.
Amid the exhibition showcasing works by KFTVM students, the dialogue became a symbolic marker: that UPNVJ’s concept of national defense education goes beyond discipline or nationalism, encompassing the courage to create a just and inclusive living space for all its members.
At the end of the event, students gathered around Fauzi, eager to learn more about his techniques and visual philosophy. He responded patiently—through his hands, through light, and through a smile. Perhaps that was the most photographic moment of the day—when silence transformed into a language of unity. (www.upnvj.ac.id)
