A Crown Awaits

Placed on the head of a person, a crown has been a conspicuous symbolic article of ownership and status, a sign of prestige, and an assertion of formal authority for over five thousand years. The crown in some cultures reminds people of the halo of light around a head in religious art, and in others, the sun’s corona. The crown as emblem is associated with feudal history, monarchs, faith, conflict, subjugation and power. The visual equivalence among animals is a mane of fur, antlers and elaborate plumage. The crown demands I gaze and consider its possessor, their qualities and dominion.

The crown envisioned in this image appears full with mystery. Its luminous faded gold light seems to incite the air to rush and form magnetic waves that flow from its floating centre.

The crown awaits for whom? What worthy soul would gladly greet this object to their mind?

If someone seeks a crown how do I think of them? When someone wears a crown, how do I approach them? Do I wish for a crown of my own?

The crown is no more than an object, and the one above and below, no more than light, and yet I continue to be transfixed. The weight of history, the strength of imagination, the enchantment of story, real and imagined. All conspire to capture this citizen's attention, for I am not at ease as subject nor as sovereign.

 

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