What is this place? Wat Arun—Buddhist Temple (Front main panel) 

This panel depicts a sacred site in Thailand. The label reads, “What is this place? This is the prayer hall of the Wat Arun complex. Buddhist followers have come here for about 400 years to pray and pay respect to Buddha, the first teacher of Buddhism. Buddha is shown as a larger-than-life statue in the prayer hall.”  

The built environment along the panel wall is approximately 8 feet tall by 8 feet wide. On a wooden, carpeted platform, 2D cutouts of two monks, with shaved heads and dressed in orange robes, sit with their backs facing toward the viewer as they pray at the base of a Buddha statue. On both sides of the monks on the wooden platform, several varying sized low, golden tables are stacked along the perimeter. The central Buddha statue is seated cross-legged on a stack of oval pillows with frilled edges. The statue is depicted wearing similar robes as the pictured monks in the 2D cutouts. The whole statue is gold, and the top layer of the statue resembles similar outlining as a lotus. Behind the Buddha is a ridged-edged triangular backing with red patterning and line detailing that follows the borders. Along the panel is a background image of gray, beige, and red patterning and two chandeliers. 

To the left of the platform structure, a display case holds a prayer book that the Wat Arun monks use. To the right of the platform structure, a large touchable book highlights text of the monk’s morning chant. When approached, sensors in the book activate a recording of the monk’s chant. On the right end of the panel wall, another label hangs depicting the significance of the chants.  

Buddhist Monks’ Morning Prayer Chant  

Listen to the Buddhist monks’ Morning Prayer chant presented in the pages of the book. The label text reads, “It begins with this chant, which is called “Supreme Praise to the Triple Gem.” The Triple Gem represents: Buddha: the teacher that shows the path to enlightenment, Dharma: the teachings of Buddha, [and] Sangha: the Monks that teach Buddha’s teachings, which explain the path to enlightenment.” 

The first section of text from the book is translated here.  
“To the Blessed One the Lord who fully attained Perfect Enlightenment 
To the Teaching which he expounded so well 
And to the Blessed One’s disciples who have practiced well 
To these the Buddha the Dharma and the Sangha 
We render with offerings our rightful homage” 

The second section of the text is translated here.  
“It is well for us that the Blessed One having attained liberation 
Still had compassion for later generations 
May these simple offerings be accepted 
For our long-lasting benefit and for the happiness it gives us” 

The Prangs of Wat Arun—Buddhist (Backside of main panel) 

On the reverse side of the main panel, there is an aerial image of the Wat Arun complex. The label reads, “Buddhists make offerings to practice generosity on their path to enlightenment. 200 years ago, King Rama II built a set of glittering prangs covered in porcelain and ceramic pieces as an offering to Buddha at Wat Arun. Buddhists study and practice the teachings of Buddha to reach enlightenment.” 

The image highlights a large porcelain and decorated central prang, or spire, with four smaller prangs around its perimeter. Each prang is gold and white, structured like a cone, pointed toward the sky. The center prang towers over other structures in the surrounding city.  The sky along the top border of the panel shows the sun shining over the city, but the air is tinted with a yellowish haze. 

In front of the panel wall to the left, a display case holds a small statue of Buddha and several examples of items used as offerings. To the right side, in front of the panel wall is a holographic table displaying views of the prangs at Wat Arun.