The power of 2D textures. The 'pillars' are symmetrical lattices, and the texture maps were produced using Photoshop. My original intention was to produce something that I could use to make images that looked vaguely like the works of H.R. Giger. This didn't really work out, but I kept the texture around and eventually reapplied it for this image. The picture texture drives both the colour and the bump channels of the material, but its contribution to the bump channel is the most important part of the scene.

The scene is relatively simple in construction - a number of symmetrical lattices (identical copies), a flattened terrain for a roof, a water plane, and a light. The light uses one of the standard textures for a texture gel, resulting in a glow reflected on the water and an interesting pattern overhead. The image isn't perfect - I'd like more integration between the roof and the pillars, but the texture maps poorly to flat or nearly-flat surfaces - and it's a little too symmetrical for my taste. Nonetheless, I rather like the final feel, which is a bit different from my usual style of image.

I'm not sure about the Coleridge quote, but it was all I could come up with at short notice.