Thilina Liyanage uses a large, movable elephant to hold up a “safari observation deck,” which clearly shows what it’s for. The architect from Sri Lanka sees the building as a symbol that celebrates its context and purpose in a fun way. The project is similar to Robert Venturi and Denise Schütte’s ducks of roadside and highway strip architecture in terms of its level and detail. The work is thought of as a wireframe mesh made of hollow tubes, which is different from modern building with its clean lines and simple volumetric shapes. The triangle-shaped and l-shaped geometries create a strange mix of natural and computer-generated languages.

With its playful elephant appearance, Thilina Liyanage’s “safari deck” defies the stiffness of modern architecture. The artist is exploring taller, more organic shapes with this new endeavor. His work is primarily done in verdant jungles, much like the deck of a safari cabin.

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