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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Six : Using reflections to transform reality > Ghost school, Denver, Colorado, 2007
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07-JUL-2007

Ghost school, Denver, Colorado, 2007

Built in 1904, this school has been shut down for the last thirty years. It is a ghost. Under private ownership, it awaits a new life in Denver’s booming Golden Triangle neighborhood. But when, and as what? As I passed by, I noticed the morning sun glinting off one of its third floor windows. Exposing with spot metering for the bright reflection, I deepened and enriched the colors – it was almost as if that reflection was pumping blood into those four massive columns, as well as symbolizing the better day that may yet eventually come.

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Phil Douglis12-Jul-2007 22:21
Guess who I was thinking of as I made this picture, Tim? I could just see you walking in and out of those doors for thirty plus years. And creatively making use of reflected light working within the context of an old window is certainly a Timesque specialty -- I recall your exquisite examples athttp://www.pbase.com/mityam/image/33830750 ,http://www.pbase.com/mityam/image/33415448 , andhttp://www.pbase.com/mityam/image/54958610 . Both light and and windows are symbols in themselves -- when we juxtapose them, we can create metaphors that carry still larger meaning.
Tim May12-Jul-2007 16:24
My thirty plus years as a teacher in the classroom create a context for me. I see this as a metaphor for learning both in the light in the window - the light of knowledge and the fact of the old building showing that learning has been going on for eons.
Phil Douglis11-Jul-2007 18:31
Thanks, Celia, for seeing so clearly what I have tried to accomplish with this image. It is the shiny reflection that makes it work -- without it, we only have the building itself, but no symbolic catalyst for meaning.
Cecilia Lim11-Jul-2007 12:28
The dark shadows creeping up onto the building from the ground seem to forewarn a certain doom for this school that has been dead for the last 30 years. Yet its well-preserved frame, still strong and unafflicted by weather or time stands defiant, with the blood-red of life still running through its body. That shiny reflection glimmers with hope, telling us that there is still a lot of life left in this proud and unwavering landmark of Denver's Golden Triangle. I really applaud your use of shadow, light, reflection and colour to bring personality and drama into an otherwise dead and lifeless building. Well done!
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