Where Stone Still Breathes

Dawn gathers in Bayon’s corridors like water in a stone bowl, cool and unhurried.  Two faces emerge—one cloaked in the last breath of night, the other brushed by the first silver syllable of morning.  Their exchange seems less carving than thought made visible.

In this suspended hush, centuries contract to the width of a heartbeat.  The terrace beneath me belongs to no empire, only to presence: stone inhaling light, exhaling stillness.

I pressed the shutter only when my breathing matched the temple’s.  Medium-format black-and-white film accepted the moment’s slow cadence; in the darkroom I polished shadow and glow as one turns prayer beads, until compassion stirred within the grains.  Hand-toning followed, gifting each print its own quiet pulse.

This strictly limited edition of twenty-five prints (with two Artist’s Proofs) rests on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper whose warm fibers cradle silver and carbon like earth cradles seed.  Signed, numbered, and accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, each piece is a silent threshold of reflection.

May it find the wall where your own silence waits.

To walk deeper into the hush behind this image, click here to enter the Artist’s Journal.

Previously titled ‘Face Towers I, Bayon Temple, Angkor, Cambodia.  2018,’ this photograph has been renamed to better reflect its place in the series and its spiritual tone.  The edition, provenance, and authenticity remain unchanged.