Monday 9 May 2011

Elephant Statue

I am looking at a photograph taken in Thailand, north of Bangkok. The photo is taken at the base of a concrete statue, angled up, so the viewer can see the immense height of it. The statue resides at a temple high above the ground. Clouds surround it, nothing else can be seen.

The photo draws me in, and starts to feel more tangible, as if I'm experiencing it first hand. The Elephant, standing completely upright, is narrow in width, but reaches far beyond the clouds. I'm blown away by what an amazing feat of human engineering it is, on the cusp of being impossible. In centuries past the sheer scale of it must have put the those that beheld it in a state of awe, and even fear, if seen by invaders. A few travelers and monks stand around admiring the statue. There is text below the photograph; a voice narrates, talking about how this statue questions the material body of man.

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