The small, secretive room had a pungent chemical odor, however it was so cool to be inside and observe images and how they came to life. Carolina A. Miranda is a Los Angeles Times columnist centered on art and design, who also makes common forays into other areas of tradition, together with efficiency, books and digital life. The statue of Robert E. Lee on horseback that stood at the coronary heart of Charlottesville, Va. — a spotlight of white nationalist protests in 2017 — has been melted down into an ingot that reads “Swords into plowshares” by a pair of …