gold

A large pagoda faced in gold, in Chiang Mai near sunset, was
a convincing example of why gold has held such allure
down the ages, it seemed incandescent, alive with light.
The attention to a variation in scale, in many temples,
gives a great sense of space, with gold leafed
artifacts glowing in a quiet gloom.

Here's a clever & amusing short film .
A local artist who who makes good use of gold leaf.
Sebastiao Salgado's mindblowing photographs here & here.