BACKROADS • NOVEMBER 2020
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Morton’s BMW Motorcycles Presents Dr. Seymour O’Life’s MYSTER IOU S A MERICA oF ghoSt Police and angelS Although I do my best to find things that make you wonder or go bump in the night, this column Mysterious America finds humans’ wondrous ability to create one of the greatest mysteries, especially when it is the creation of something that is emotionally moving to the artists. Something that, for their own reasons, has caused the spark of imagination to turn into a flame. In the tiny town of Clayton, North Carolina, there is a gray brick wall that runs along a public building. It would not be much different from the building down the block, in the next town or state but, here in Clayton, this wall is far different than all others. The sculpture is called “Cornerstones.” As you approach, you begin to absorb and your eyes open up to what is before you. And, when you realize what it is and know this sculpture’s story, the emotions can be recognized and, for some, can be the beginning of another journey of feelings. Let me explain… “Cornerstones” was sculptured by Christian Karkow and portrays the void left when a police officer dies in the line of duty, creatively conveyed by slabs of slate, pushed out to form a kind of pixelated policeman. The “rocks” are water-jet bluestone slate stacked to configure a larger-than-life Clayton Police Officer. The memorial is adjacent to the police department’s roll-call meeting room where officers meet each morning to discuss cases and get their assignments. The sculpture is a representation of that officer stepping out into the com-
munity to protect and serve. Inside the building the inverse of the figure is found, creating a void where the officer had been. Adjacent to the void are the names of the officers no longer a part of the community.
