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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fourteen: Expressing the meaning of buildings and structures > Santa Cruz County Courthouse, Nogales, Arizona, 2009
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12-APR-2009

Santa Cruz County Courthouse, Nogales, Arizona, 2009

The most impressive building in this town which sits astride the US-Mexican border is an early 20th century courthouse, dominated by rhe statue of Justice upon its central dome. However the thing that caught my eye was the clever use of incongruous “half-urns” as decorative devices flanking the statue. From the front, they look like real urns, but when I brought my long telephoto lens into play on this one, I saw that it was only a façade – rounded in front and flat in the back. The play of reflected light gives it a magical glow.

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Phil Douglis21-Apr-2009 21:10
The border between the US and Mexico has long been a touchy subject -- it was, afer all, established following the United State's invasion of Mexico in 1848. Arizona itself was seized from Mexico, and this particular county must have known its share of injustice over the intervening years. And given such a past, it is easy to interpret present day justice as a facade as well. You extend that facade to the entire country --and given Guantanamo, Abu Graib, et. al, I can well see how we can reach such a conclusion. If this image can make us wonder about such things, it is doing its job. Thanks, Tim.
Tim May21-Apr-2009 20:16
One wonders if sometimes "justice" in our nation is not a facade.
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