Untitled (S. F. Ferry) 1979

Curator: Bill Dane captured this photograph, titled "Untitled (S. F. Ferry)." It’s a black and white image of two people sitting on a bench, seemingly on a ferry. Editor: It feels like a fleeting moment, a slice of everyday life caught on camera. The starkness adds to a sense of quiet observation. Curator: Exactly, the bench itself becomes symbolic, doesn't it? The text "Life Preservers" adds a layer of meaning—safety, survival in transit, both literal and perhaps metaphorical. Editor: I’m struck by the social dynamics, though. The subjects are close, but distant. Is it generational? Are they mother and daughter? What's being communicated in their body language, their averted eyes? Curator: Absolutely. Dane invites us to project our own interpretations onto this ordinary scene. These figures become vessels for our own memories and associations of travel. Editor: It makes you wonder about the unspoken narratives happening all around us, those momentary connections and disconnections in shared spaces. Curator: A profound meditation on anonymity and intimacy, wouldn’t you say? Editor: It does make you think about how we can build sociality in public spaces.