02 · Visual Language 03 / 12

Reading the Frieze

Stories told in sequence

Each panel reads left to right, a carved comic strip running under the eaves of the bai.

Symmetry anchors every scene

Bilateral composition gives the meeting house its grounded, ceremonial stillness.

Figures carry meaning without words

Circle eyes and open hands have passed through generations of master carvers.

Color marks what matters most

Red for life-force, yellow for the sun, black for the deep water that surrounds us.