"Brooklyn Bridge" by Sharon Sieben on Zatista.com

A bridge is one of those subjects which captures an artist’s imagination. Just search for “bridge” here on Zatista and you’ll find many great images. It’s no wonder, really, because bridges are incredible creations.

"Fisherman on Bridge" by Norman Lerner on Zatista.com

Architects and engineers do some pretty crazy things, but spanning massive chasms has got to be up there with the craziest. Just think about all that heavy material hanging in the air.

"Bridges II" by Leandro Sanchez on Zatista.com

The fact that people manage to build bridges so beautifully is also remarkable. So many curving lines – swooping in such different ways – accented with the square edges of industrial practicality. I’m sure that there were people who lamented the addition of the Golden Gate Bridge to the epic local landscape at first, but how can you not warm up to such a structure?

"Fog Eats the Golden Gate" by David Page on Zatista.com

Then there’s the bridge as a metaphor. They bring us together, crossing great geographic divides which would otherwise be quite pesky. Look at old maps – natural features defined boundaries. They still do for the most part, holding over from antiquity, but just think about it: San Francisco and Oakland could have been separate countries if things had panned out differently.

"Harbor View 01" by Dominique James on Zatista.com

Yep, bridges make powerful images. If I was a mediator, I’d have images of them all over my office. Who knows? All that union and continuity might rub off on my clients.