Escher's Dream

A number of years ago, Henderson Human Development Building on campus was renovated. It used to be one long building; now it exists in three parts, with the top building being Henderson, the middle one being Biobehavioral Health, and the lower one called Health & Human Development (with the Nursing Sciences Building attached).

There is a big, light, airy space in the lower building that has a number of winding staircases in it. I am fascinated by this space and these stairwells. I love to take pictures of them, but when I stand on any part of it, it feels a bit precarious, and I honestly wonder how many people fall DOWN these stairs each year!

I took this picture on this day and in the evening, I had such a feeling of recognition, as though I had seen and known this space before. And then, as I was driving along in the car (where I always do my best thinking), I realized why it seemed familiar: it reminds me of those impossible stairways in Escher lithographs!

Here is a soundtrack for a stairway: Duran Duran, with Last Chance on the Stairway.