Description: A symbolic piece portraying those who rise by standing on the backs of the people—yet once in power, forget the very ones who lifted them. The layered branches suggest human bodies or arms compressed below, holding aloft a bird-like form that represents prideful authority—elegant, yet detached from its roots.
This sculpture is a vision of majestic ascent—yet rootless.
An intricate, layered form rising from the base, crowned by a bird perched at its peak.
Not in flight, not searching — but still, proud, and motionless.
Layer One: Structure and Composition
The sculpture resembles a leafless tree, full of tension.
Its branches twist like limbs—arms, legs, backs—bearing weight.
These extensions evoke the bodies of the many, pressed into service beneath the rise of a singular figure.
It is a tribute to those who carry, but are never counted.
Layer Two: The Bird, Not as Freedom
The bird above is no longer a symbol of freedom.
It does not soar or prepare to.
Instead, it rests like a monument to power—
elegant, detached, emotionally void.
It sits not on wings, but on others’ labor.
Layer Three: A Social Critique
The piece speaks of histories where leaders, rebels, and elites
rose on the backs of people—only to forget the very ones who lifted them.
There is no hand reaching back.
No gaze downward.
Only elevation—and detachment.
Final Reflection
Greatness Upon Forgotten Shoulders is not a condemnation of power,
but a reminder of origin.
No bird can perch without a tree,
no summit means anything without the memory of those beneath it.
