#war-and-memory

#war-and-memory

It reimagines one of the Bamiyan Buddhas, colossal sixth-century statues that once stood in central Afghanistan before being destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Today, those Buddhas exist only as empty niches carved into a cliff. Carved from sandstone, the High Line version isn't a replica. It's an homage-described as an "echo"-meant to summon memory rather than recreate history. The title references the nickname locals once gave the larger Bamiyan Buddha: "Salsal" which translates to "the light shines through the universe."