One of the few remnants of Manzanar's World War II relocation camp is a small monument, built by Japanese-Americans who were forcibly removed from their homes and interned here. It stands over the camp's tiny cemetery, and the inscription refers to it as a “soul-consoling tower.” I use my frame to abstract the monument, and contrast its verticality to the horizontal thrust of the frame and the horizontal flow of Mt. Williamson in the background. This is an extreme example of counter-framing – forcing vertical subjects into horizontal contexts. This counter-framing both creates tension, and implies meaning. To me, this monument now speaks of the lives and dreams that were never realized because of death.

This was my second visit to this poignant monument. You can see my previous interpretation by clicking on the thumbnail below.