It is always difficult to select the right images for a website, but it takes on new meaning when its a site that has at its heart both tragedy, and the examination of media representations. Quite honestly, my original instinct in designing this site was to stay away from images entirely, fearing their power to repel, and mesmerize. But after an email from one of my classmates requesting the use of photos somehow, I realized I was probably alone and quite likely misguided.

Against my own desires, I plunged into the photo archives of Time, CNN, and others. This was a task I dreaded. The devastating impact of watching these acts of terror live on television, or in video repeat is one thing. Seeing these acts suspended through the lens of a still camera is another. Still photography often provides more detail, and more time for the enormity of the recorded events to sink in and stay a while.

I chose photos representative of what I had seen most often on television, thinking rightly or wrongly, that if people had to see these photos, they might as well see those they most associated with September 11. From these photos, I created the first iteration of a collage for the front page of our website. I purposely blurred them, and removed the color, trying somehow to dim the impact of the horror they represent.

The response from our CMS team was overwhelmingly against this collage. Why? In a nutshell: Too stark, too shocking, and not the right tone. What we were going for was reflection, compassion, and something different than what was available anywhere else. Those scenes of terror can be found on many websites, but the opportunity to reflect and examine both our responses and the responses of those around us are few and far between.

I was profoundly relieved in some ways, but at a loss for how to use any kind of image of anything in their place. Alex Chisholm mentioned some video footage from MIT dedications and gatherings that might work. That to all involved, sounded like exactly the right tone.

I skimmed through images shot by my fellow classmates of MIT's Killian Court memorial gathering, the dedication of MIT's Reflecting Wall, and other gathering areas within MIT. What I found were compelling images of grief, compassion, and gestures resembling that grasp at understanding and hope in humanity we all so desperately desire.

Below are the full-sized color versions of the images you see on the front page of the website.

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