France ruled Laos, along with Vietnam and Cambodia, from the 19th Century until the middle of the 20th Century. Only fragments of decaying French colonial architecture remain in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos. This is one of them – a decaying house near the city center that is still inhabited. It was falling apart, covered with ugly electrical wires, and virtually walled off from public view by high fences and trees. It was unreachable. Which gave me the idea for this image. I abstracted the house as a series of fragments, partially hidden from view by bushes and trees. The warm glow of late afternoon light beckons, but the tangle of vegetation keeps us away. It sets up a tension, which goes well with the theme of decay, the long decline from grandeur.