Sanctuary of Ascending Light
Michael-LéVon (MLL) Landry -.
Interior Architect and Design Conceptualist
In a most secret dream I’m standing before a Sanctuary of Ascending Light, and I feel the weight of responsibility settle over me.
This installation, part of my 2026 Perspective Collection in Europe, is not just an artistic statement—it is a reckoning. The temple’s symmetrical staircases rise with quiet grandeur, an echo of civilizations that once understood the sacred relationship between architecture and nature. And yet, its fractured edges reveal erosion—of time, of neglect, of a world that no longer places reverence where it belongs.
A grid-like structure separates the viewer from the temple, forcing a question I cannot ignore: Are we protecting or imprisoning? Preserving or confining? There is a tension here, a reflection of how we treat our own history—revered, yet caged.
The scent of Chocolate Cosmos flowers lingers in the air, their deep burgundy petals exuding the indulgent aroma of cocoa. Nearby, Buffalograss perfumes the space with its subtle almond-umami fragrance, a reminder of the earth’s quiet, unassuming beauty. These are not just plants; they are fragments of something greater, something fleeting.
Above them, blue butterflies flutter, their iridescent wings shimmering with the weight of transformation, hope, and impermanence. I have always seen them as silent messengers, guiding us toward change. Some say they bring luck; others believe they carry wishes. But what if they are warnings? What if their delicate presence is a fleeting gift we have already begun to lose?
I find myself asking: Will the day come when we must secure these acts of beauty within the grandeur of a museum, where humans will be armed with care—yet kept at a distance? Will the land, the sky, the water—the sacred spaces of this earth—become artifacts behind glass, admired but untouchable?
I refuse to accept that future. We are not just witnesses to history; we are its stewards. The choice is ours—to guard, to nurture, to restore. But if we wait too long, all that will remain are echoes of what once was.
~MLL