The Sentinels of Justice

The Sentinels of Justice is composed of five cast iron columns, each ranging from 25 to 29 feet in height.  Throughout the day, the shifting position and intensity of sunlight filtering into the courthouse’s atrium alters the appearance of the sculpture.  This interaction activates the artwork, as shadows cast by and upon the five pillars are in constant flux.  The appearance of the sculpture’s patina (both its color and surface texture) is continually transformed as well. 

Sentinels also interacts with the surrounding architecture in other ways.  As visitors to the courthouse walk around and among the five pillars, they experience ever-changing views of the space.  These tall markers function as points of orientation.  Further, the base of each sculpture is scaled to the height of a standing person.  By retaining its relationship to the human figure, Sentinels serves as an intermediary between the vast space and its inhabitants.

Although rendered in monumental scale, Pepper’s sculpture draws upon the memory of ancient artifacts, prototypical tools, and ceremonial objects.  Of her relationship to tools, Pepper said that “they’re an extension of my hands.  I simply began to transfigure them…The spiral is a metamorphosis of the awl.  I’ve done several that are monumental.  If you look at these tools, not lying flat as we usually see them, but standing up, you’ll find they take a life of their own…the spiral seems headed for infinity.”  Through Pepper's art, these simple implements—chisels, drills, and files—are elevated above their common use, and transformed into symbols of society’s accomplishments.