Symbolic reflections

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Let's continue our walk through the Supreme Court Building.
The benches (near the mosaic) of the previous post are visible in this first photo.

Let the guard thoroughly inspect your bag (or he may use the X-ray machine), answer his questions, walk through the metal detector, and YOU ARE IN.

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In 1986 a competition was held and 174 proposals from around the world were submitted.

Israeli architects Ram and Ada Karmi, a brother-sister team, won.

Before creating their design for this new justice building, they reread the Hebrew Bible.

Drawing inspiration from biblical metaphor, they put into play the contrasts of

• inside and outside
• old and new
• lines and circles

In the coming week we will walk through the building and see examples.

For James' "Weekend Reflections" meme, here is a mirror that runs between the floor and the wall in many places of the Supreme Court Building.

One idea of the mirror, here running on the right of the main entrance stairway, is from the biblical book of Amos (5:24):

"But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream."

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The stairway resembles an old Jerusalem lane, complete with streetlamps. The floor here is stone, not marble, like a Jerusalem courtyard of 130 years ago.

The wall of unhewn stones (from quarries from every region of Israel, united in one wall), with no mortar in between, reminds us of the walls of ancient Jerusalem and the Temple Mount.

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The wall on the left is plain white plaster. The new faces the old.

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The reflecting mirrors show our contact and emotional connection with the land.

They create the illusion that the building's foundation extends deep into the earth.

This effect recalls the foundations of the Old City of Jerusalem and suggests that the roots of law and justice are also deep.

The panoramic window floods the stairs with natural light.

We are inside but feel outside.

Sacher Park and the 19th century neighborhood of Nachlaot are at our feet.

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