Come to URCAD on Wednesday, April 25 where Ancient Studies student, Julian Tash will present his creative research project "Bodies of Devotion: The Display of Buddhist Statues".
Statues of the Buddha are seldom created for museums. They are instead intended to be displayed in temples, where they might be distanced from viewers by partitions or obscured in darkness — a stark contrast to well-illuminated museum spaces in which visitors can closely approach displays. Despite this distance, however, the temple context is intimate. Before entering a temple, physical rituals, such as wafting incense smoke over one’s head, physically connect devotees to Buddhism.