New York photographer Josh Bulriss embarked on a project to capture some of the most beautiful, striking Buddha statues in the world. Here he shares a few of his favourite photographs from the collection and tells us why he chose this particular subject.
The Buddha Project is a photographic journey seeking the most beautiful and unique Buddha statues in the world.
A 6,000-mile journey through Asia
I’ve spent a quarter of the last decade in Asia travelling and photographing things that brought me peace. In that time, the project slowly evolved into me learning and becoming more interested in Buddhism.
Being in these ancient places and photographing timeless statues really brings me such joy and peace. My mother (Susan Bulriss) passed away in September 2014. She was one of my biggest supporter and fans, always pushing me to follow my heart. She would want me to do this project and be out there following my biggest dreams. So, I came up with the idea for the Buddha Project. I didn’t think it had ever been done – at least not in the way that I planned to do it.
This 6,000-mile journey led me through six countries – Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia and Sri Lanka – 42 cities and 19 caves.
I was searching for statues with distinct textures, colours, decay or overall beauty in the surrounding.
New perspectives
I’d like people to gain a feeling of peace and tranquility from my photographs, but I also want to offer a new perspective on these incredibly beautiful statues alongside inspiring people to travel and explore new and beautiful places.
During this process, I learned what it takes to have an idea go from conception to reality. Having a project with a strategic focus was very helpful to achieving my goals. I learned how important it is to never give up on my dreams. I also learned that I had a tremendous amount of support from the people who wanted to see me become successful with this project. I did crowdfunding to help make this project possible and I had no idea of the amount of people who believed in me and what I’m so passionate about – this was the best feeling of all.
My favourite image from the collection is the buried Buddha statue in Shwe Indein Pagoda in the village of Indein, near Inle Lake in Shan State, Myanmar. The only way to reach this statue is by taking a boat down shallow canals. A beautiful journey that’s well worth taking.
About Josh Bulriss:
A passionate devotion to capturing the core of culture has driven New York photographer Josh Bulriss to wander the world. Josh has lived in many different places and craves getting off the beaten path. His ultimate goal is to enhance his viewer’s awareness of the everyday beauty that this world has to offer with a thread of ‘inner peace’ that runs through his work. Josh lives by the mantra, ‘the world is my studio’.
