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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Eight: Using symbols and metaphors to express meaning > A stone of hope, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013
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14-FEB-2013

A stone of hope, Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site, Atlanta, Georgia, 2013

This is a relatively small working model, depicting the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington DC, which is on display in Atlanta’s King Historic Site visitor’s center. The actual memorial to Dr. King in Washington stands almost 30 feet high. This model is about six feet high, and is placed in front of a window overlooking the plaza in front of the visitor’s center. I waited until two visitors were framed within that window, and then made this image to symbolize the meaning of this memorial itself. The figure of Dr. King glows in golden tones as it rises from a base of stone. It was designed to embody the phrase “Out of a mountain of despair, A stone of hope…” taken from King’s famous “I have a dream” speech in 1963. Behind King, two silhouetted symbolic figures pass in soft focus within a pair of windows. One of them is approaching, while the other is departing. Behind them is a softly focused mural, floating above a washed out plaza. The mural represents King’s unfinished dream, while I saw the figures in the windows as symbolizing “opposites” – a society where people should be free to make their own choices and move towards their own goals and purposes. The pose of Dr. King himself, arms folded and confident, reinforces that very idea.

FujiFilm X10
1/140s f/2.2 at 12.7mm iso400 full exif

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Phil Douglis07-Apr-2013 21:46
Thanks, Tim. I wanted to somehow visually relate the purpose of Dr. King's efforts to day to day life in our own times. That was one of my purposes in visiting this historic area of Atlanta. The sculptor of the memorial itself expresses the meaning of Dr. King's statement "Out of a mountain of despair, A stone of hope..." I photographed many people through the window as they passed through the white negative space on either side of the monument and hoped to symbolize a contrast in direction and body language. This pair of silhouetted figures made my idea work. Yes, this image started with a thought, a purpose. I have always regarded the basis of expressive photography as a search for ideas. Usually, one step leads to another. In this case, it was a symbolic monument, a window, two open spaces, and a mural. All we needed to complete the idea were two people walking in different directions at the same moment. It finally happened.
Tim May07-Apr-2013 18:59
I continue to be in awe of the thought that goes into your image making.
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