Threshold of the Gods

Before first light touches stone, before the world is named, the western causeway of Angkor Wat extends like a breath held in the body of the earth.  No footsteps echo.  The sky holds its silence in cloudlight.

The naga balustrades curve inward like gestures of remembrance.  Their symmetry does not lead to a structure, but to presence.  The temple’s towers wait on the horizon, not to be seen—but to be met.  Here, in the hush before form, something sacred begins.

Lucas Varro entered this space before dawn, passing through the western gopura in darkness.  He stood without framing or thought, listening.  The camera’s bellows opened like a breath.  The long exposure received not an image, but a moment of surrender.

Captured on large format black-and-white film, the photograph was shaped using classical chiaroscuro techniques and hand-toned by the artist.  The final print is an archival pigment print on Hahnemühle Bamboo paper, offered in a strictly limited edition of 25 + 2 Artist’s Proofs.
Each one a threshold, waiting to be crossed in silence.

Click here to enter the Artist’s Journal and walk deeper into the hush.

Previously titled ‘Causeway, Angkor Wat Temple, Cambodia. 2020,’ this photograph has been renamed to better reflect its place in the series and its spiritual tone.  The edition, provenance, and authenticity remain unchanged.