Light Balance, 2008
Justice Center, Denver, CO.
Light is a metaphor for a justice that illuminates truth and transparency of process. Inspired by the shallow scales held aloft by the blindfolded Justice, the curved form with a turbulent surface hangs in perfect balance. Above and below are reflective surfaces that bounce back the light and shapes. Reflection in the metaphysical sense is also at the core of the judicial process.
Caught as if in motion, fiber optic lines stream down from the ceiling, each ending with a brilliant point of light. These lines and forms can be interpreted in many ways: the bringing together of people, incidents, evidence and ideas from varied and disparate places. They are gathered, sorted and organized within the Justice and Detention Center. That ordering and containment is expressed in the bowl form as the symbolic heart of the court and detention center.
For many of those who move through this space of the rotunda on the way to court, it is a time of great anxiety and stress. Light Balance is meant to speak quietly and serenely of cosmic forces beyond our grasp. The many glass tubes and glass lines of light become part of a larger whole.
The whole work is filled with light, illuminating the entire area with a soft glow.
We see the bowl shape perfectly reflected in the polished black aggregate circular plane at the center of the rotunda floor suggesting a reflecting pool. The ceiling of the cupola is brushed aluminum that glows with the light of the lines like a luminous sky. Both surfaces contain the light within the Center
This bowl of light is a gathering together of many parts: holding light, insight and wisdom.
