This gilded temple door guards the sanctuary where the cremation chariots of the Laotian Kings are kept. At first glance, it looks like just another beautiful example of oriental art. And it is just that. But the detail is compelling, and if you study it closely, it tells a story and does so in a very surprising way. This door carving, made of gilded teak, speaks to us quite sensually, not only because of the carving, but also because of the lush golden coloration and my angle of view, which gently sculpts the figures with the interplay of light and shadow. These figures represent scenes from Lao mythology and religion. They are symbolic – the male is touching the woman on her shoulder and on the abdomen. She also seems to be holding both of his hands in hers. With that, everything changes. A closer study of detail reveals six hands in the image. The man has two extra hands, and must represent a deity. Then I looked once again at the details and they changed still again. She is not really holding his hands in hers after all. She is just holding her fingers in such strange positions, so that it looks as if she is doing so. This is a wonderfully ambiguous work of art, but it only becomes so after the details are studied closely. I am glad I made this image from this particular vantage point – close enough to make detail large enough to easily see and appreciate, yet from an angle that intensifies the ambiguity of that detail and brings light and shadow into play as well.