Very few wooden buildings survive from the days of ancient Bagan. One that does, however, is a monastery constructed entirely of teak. Its facade is covered with intricate carvings, a fantasy in ancient wood. When I stood back and tried to photograph the whole incredible façade, all I had was an image describing what the building looked like – a literal post-card type picture. The closer I came, the more I saw of the fantasy the artisans brought to this structure hundreds of years ago. I finally decided to concentrate on a single sculptured figure. It stood at the very center of the façade, and was surrounded by pointed projections that resembled tongues of fire. I was able to position the figure within the deeply shadowed black diamond-shaped area. Otherwise foreground-background mergers could easily have destroyed the coherence of this image. By stressing only the single figure, I am able to abstract the building, give it character and express the skill and creativity that went into it.