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Photo award goes to Songphan Choemprayong
Nov. 14, 2007 - When SILS doctoral student, Songphan Choemprayong traveled home to Thailand last summer, it was to visit with his family, work and relax. He also had time to take out his camera for a few shots of his homeland.
This week, the Center for Global Initiatives at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill celebrated International Education Week with an international photo contest. Songphan's entry, titled "Holy Stay," was awarded "Honorable Mention." The photo was taken in Khon Kaen, Thailand.
"I had a chance to give a presentation at Khon Kaen University, Thailand in the summer," said Choemprayong. "On the day before I gave the presentation, I went to Wat Nong Wang, one of the most beautiful Buddhist temples in Khon Kaen. The highlight of this temple is a stunning giant golden pagoda where it keeps the Buddha's relics. It also shows the exhibition of art and culture of Northeastern Thailand. The pagoda has nine floors and no elevator. By going up on the ninth floor, you can see the top-down view of downtown Khon Kaen. In addition, by looking from the top, you can see these patterned monk’s houses, where the monks live and practice the dharma.
"The architecture of the buildings, in particular the roofs and gables, makes this photo iconic," he added. "The roof architecture is actually adopted from central Thai style. This particular gable style, triangle with the very sharp peak, is called “Jua Naa Phrom” (Brahma’s Face Gable) which symbolizes the four principles of a virtuous existence: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic/spiritual joy and equanimity. The principles are used for the cultivation of mental qualities and the development of good conducts."
According to the contest Web site, "entries are judged on the ability to represent a cross-cultural/international experience and on artistic merit." The winners were treated with a reception in the FedEx Global Education Center where their photos were displayed. They each had an opportunity to describe the photographs. The photos will be on display through the end of December.
In the photo above, Songphan prepares his camera for his next shot.