Untitled (Berkeley) 1979

Curator: This is Bill Dane's photograph, simply titled "(Berkeley)," and currently part of the Harvard Art Museums collection. Editor: It's instantly evocative—a snapshot of mundane life imbued with a quiet surrealism, mostly grayscale. Curator: Indeed. The composition is striking: the sharp geometry of the apartment building juxtaposed with the curves of the van. Note how the reflection on the van's window complicates the space. Editor: The reflection transforms the van into a vessel of cultural memory, doesn't it? The Golden Gate Bridge is an icon of American ingenuity, freedom, and possibility. Juxtaposed with the flying saucers it speaks of a utopian future, or maybe anxiety about it. Curator: An astute observation. Dane's choices of tone and focus guide our perception, turning the seemingly ordinary into a site for deeper contemplation. Editor: It reminds us how symbols hide in plain sight. Makes you wonder about the person walking past the van, too. Curator: Precisely. Art invites such layering of meaning. Editor: Agreed. I'll be pondering those flying saucers for some time.