ABSTRACT
The picture on this spread is about fear of the unknown and our tendency to cohere as a group when stressed or threatened. Showing this image in class produces a wide range of explanations, many based on imagination or personal experience. Reactions have ranged from complete indifference to real fear. The image was taken during one of the rare public openings of the old Rochester subway station accessed by foot along the Broad Street aqueduct. The small party peers into the dark, trying to make out what they can of the long-abandoned station. The huddled, almost fearful, stance of this group of people is clear. Everything else comes from our recognition of patterns or areas of tone as objects, and the use of our mental powers to build some meaning - voluntarily or otherwise. Humans are good at solving puzzles and will naturally try to work out what they are seeing in every image they encounter.
