Silent Stories#7

Statues have a way of finding me. I don't set out to photograph them, yet they appear—in plazas, gardens, and street corners—each with its own silent story. Some are famous, others almost forgotten, but all of them invite a pause. Perhaps they fascinate me because public statues are relatively uncommon back home in Malaysia, so every encounter feels like discovering a small piece of another culture. What began as a simple fascination has become a journey of discovering the stories hidden within these silent works of art. 

Here’s another encounter in my Silent Stories series — statues that found me.

The "Fame of Industry" (Renommée de l'Industrie) is an iconic gilded bronze statue located on the Pont Alexandre III bridge in Paris, France. It stands atop one of the four monumental 17-meter-tall masonry pylons that anchor each corner of the bridge. 

Key Details of the Statue

• Location: It is positioned on the Left Bank (the south side of the Seine River), facing towards the Les Invalides complex. 

• The Sculptor: The statue was designed by French sculptor Clément Steiner and completed posthumously by Eugène Gantzlin for the 1900 Universal Exhibition. 

• Design: It features a classical allegorical female figure representing "Fame" restraining the mythical winged horse, Pegasus. 

• The Base: At the masonry base of this specific pylon sits a stone statue representing La France de Louis XIV (France of Louis XIV), sculpted by Laurent Marqueste. 

• Functional Purpose: Beyond their incredible Art Nouveau aesthetic, these massive pylons and their heavy statues serve an engineering purpose: they act as stabilizing counterweights to support the bridge’s remarkably flat, low single-span steel arch. 

The Four "Fames" of Pont Alexandre III

The Fame of Industry is part of a matching set of four gilded sculptures that celebrate different cultural and economic achievements of France: 

• Left Bank (South Side): Fame of Industry and Fame of Commerce.

• Right Bank (North Side): Fame of the Arts and Fame of the Sciences. 

Walls That Strum

 🎸 In the winding streets of Toledo, even the walls seem to sing. I stumbled upon this boutique hotel sign crowned with sculpted hands strumming a guitar—an artistic welcome that feels perfectly at home in Spain's land of music, history, and legends.

Amid silence, you can almost hear the rhythm of flamenco echoing from the wall itself.

The hotel's name, Entre Dos Aguas ("Between Two Waters"), will also sound familiar to music lovers. It shares its title with one of the most celebrated compositions by the legendary Spanish guitarist Paco de Lucía. Whether this is a deliberate tribute or simply a poetic coincidence, the guitar sculpture makes the connection feel almost inevitable.

It's one of those delightful travel moments when a simple hotel sign tells a story. It’s a reminder that in Spain, even a hotel sign can carry the soul of a song.

Silent Stories#6

Statues have a way of finding me. I don't set out to photograph them, yet they appear—in plazas, gardens, and street corners—each with its own silent story. Some are famous, others almost forgotten, but all of them invite a pause. Perhaps they fascinate me because public statues are relatively uncommon back home in Malaysia, so every encounter feels like discovering a small piece of another culture. What began as a simple fascination has become a journey of discovering the stories hidden within these silent works of art. 

Here’s another encounter in my Silent Stories series — a statue that found me.

 Statue of Petar Zoranić — Zadar, Croatia 

• Artist: Unknown / Local Croatian Sculptor.
• Artwork: The Statue of Petar Zoranić commemorates the foundational 16th-century Croatian literary figure.
• Medium: A weathered bronze sculpture depicting the writer standing tall in Renaissance-era attire, uniquely characterized by its robust, powerfully sculpted legs.
• Location: Situated prominently in St. Chrysogonus Square (Trg Svetog Krševana) in the historic, old town core of Zadar, Croatia.
• The Figure: The monument depicts Petar Zoranić (1508–1569), a noble-born poet and notary from nearby Nin who went on to define the early identity of Croatian literature.
• Literary Significance: Zoranić penned Planine (The Mountains) in 1536. Published posthumously in Venice in 1569, this pastoral romance is celebrated by historians as the very first novel ever written in the Croatian language.
• Historical Context: The statue represents a triumph of human expression over conflict. Zoranić wrote his poetry during a tumultuous era when Zadar was a heavily fortified enclave under constant threat and siege by Ottoman forces.
• Concept & Setting: Set against the backdrop of ancient stone facades and the medieval Church of St. Chrysogonus, the statue anchors a quiet public crossroad, connecting modern city wanderers to the cultural renaissance of the eastern Adriatic.
• Silent Story: Standing proudly amidst centuries-old fortifications, the statue whispers a story of patriotism and cultural preservation. Zoranić used his fictional 7-day mountain trek to allegorically awaken his countrymen's love for their native tongue and land.

The Statue of Petar Zoranić reminds us that behind the stoic bronze of historical figures lies a passionate plea to remember who we are and where we come from.

The Plaka Cat

Back in 2023, I was wandering through Plaka, Athens — narrow streets, painted shutters, and right there on a wooden bench, a white cat with orange patches. Calm as a monk, stretched beside a potted plant, watching the world drift by. I even stopped to pet it, noticing the distinctive mark on its face and coloring that made it unforgettable.

Back home in Malaysia, I watched a few YouTube walking tours of Plaka and smiled when I spotted the very same cat roaming the nearby streets — not just outside the shop where I had met it, but moving through the neighborhood as if it belonged there, a familiar face in a place visited by thousands of strangers.

Recently, while looking through old photos, I was reminded of that cat and decided to Google the shop at Thespidos 2, the very spot where I first saw it. The result? “Permanently closed.” Once a concept store, it has since been replaced by an eyewear boutique. The shelves, the counter, the heart‑shaped ornaments, the bench — gone. But the cat? That’s the part Google can’t tell you.

Maybe it wandered off to another doorway, claimed a new bench, or became a regular at the taverna down the street. Cats in Plaka are like unofficial guardians of the neighborhood — they don’t belong to one shop, they belong to the rhythm of the place.

There’s something poetic about it: businesses open and close, signs fade, shutters lock. Yet the cats remain, padding through centuries of change, curling up wherever life still hums. The shop may have vanished, but the memory of that cat lingers — a reminder that sometimes the soul of a street isn’t in its commerce, but in its creatures.

Silent Stories#5

 Statues have a way of finding me. I don't set out to photograph them, yet they appear—in plazas, gardens, and street corners—each with its own silent story. Some are famous, others almost forgotten, but all of them invite a pause. Perhaps they fascinate me because public statues are relatively uncommon back home in Malaysia, so every encounter feels like discovering a small piece of another culture. What began as a simple fascination has become a journey of discovering the stories hidden within these silent works of art. 

Here’s another encounter in my Silent Stories series — statues that found me.

Sean Henry’s Man with Cup — Salisbury Cathedral

• Artist: Sean Henry (born 1965), a British sculptor known for creating life-sized painted bronze figures that explore identity, human presence, and everyday experiences.
• Artwork: Man with Cup (2008) is a life-sized painted bronze sculpture depicting an anonymous man standing quietly while holding a simple cup.
• Medium: The sculpture is made from bronze and hand-painted, a technique Sean Henry uses to give his figures a strikingly lifelike appearance.
• Exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral: The sculpture was displayed at Salisbury Cathedral as part of Sean Henry’s exhibition “Conflux: A Union of the Sacred and the Anonymous” in 2011.
• Concept of the exhibition: The exhibition placed contemporary human figures within the medieval cathedral, creating a dialogue between the sacred surroundings of the past and the ordinary lives of people today.
• The figure: Unlike traditional cathedral sculptures that often depict saints, kings, or biblical figures, Man with Cup represents an everyday, anonymous person — someone who could be any one of us.
• The cup: The ordinary cup held by the figure contrasts with the grandeur of Salisbury Cathedral, suggesting the importance and dignity of everyday moments.
• Location significance: Salisbury Cathedral, built in the 13th century, provides a dramatic setting for Henry’s modern sculptures, highlighting the connection between centuries-old spiritual spaces and contemporary human experiences.
• Silent story: Standing quietly among ancient stone and stained glass, Man with Cup invites visitors to pause and reflect on the unnoticed stories carried by ordinary people.

Sean Henry’s Man with Cup reminds us that even the most ordinary person can become a subject worthy of contemplation.

And the answer to my previous post’s little mystery? — Athens. Some of you were curious, so I won’t keep you guessing. Yes, the mystery photo was taken in Athens, a city in Greece where yellow taxis are part of the everyday landscape.