Submission: William, Airborne

Link to original art: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/544227

William's been at the Met since 1917, found in the tomb of a steward named Senbi. Before he was buried, someone deliberately broke three of his legs on purpose. Egyptians thought hippos were dangerous, even in death, so he had to be disarmed before anyone would trust him near a body.

And at the same time, he's painted head to tail in lotus flowers, the Egyptian symbol of rebirth, since the flower closes every night and opens again with the sun. So he's carrying two opposite things at once. Restrained, and hopeful. He's been sitting there behind glass holding both of those for four thousand years.

I wanted to give him the rebirth the lotus was already promising, just a few thousand years late. A wall label tells you William's story, but I wanted kids to actually feel it, so I turned it into a ride they could live through instead of just look at. He's a tethered hot air balloon now, lifting off from the Met's own plaza, glowing from within, lotus lanterns drifting alongside him, with real kids in the basket getting a view he's never had.

I even wrote him a short song to go with it, since a story like this felt like it deserved one:

Four thousand years he's waited still Behind the glass, upon the sill A little hippo, blue as sky Painted flowers, wondering why

Tonight the story finally turns Tonight is when the lantern burns Up, up, above the town he goes Higher than the whole world knows Lotus lights are floating free William's finally seen the sea Of city lights below his feet Four thousand years to reach this street Project Link: https://app.flora.ai/join-project/5547766f-c099-49af-a491-39ae98b1fb1c Social Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dc-fbulos7D/?stkn=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ== Built on @floraai #FLORAMuseum