Altered Perspectives: Urban Sprawl Aerials

At a glance, these stunning aerials by Christoper Gielen seem to celebrate man’s ability to shape his environment, but my gut reaction to seeing these familiar constructions from one thousand feet is disorientation. Is this really us? These configurations feel anything but human to me. As it turns out, that was precisely the reaction Christopher was seeking.

Christoph Gielen was born in Bonn, Germany, but has lived in New York most of his life. He specializes in conducting photographic aerial studies of infrastructure in its relation to land use, exploring the intersection of art and environmental politics. With his work, Gielen hopes to trigger a reevaluation of our built environment, to ask: What kind of development can be considered sustainable?

It is remarkable how often the familiar and comfortable becomes grotesque and disorienting when viewed through a different lens. That feeling of disorientation sparks the emotional reaction that makes the perspective shift such a powerful device. How can you go leverage these perspective shifts to build persuasive narratives (shades of the Ira Glass interview I posted a while back)? While aerial or macro photography is perhaps the most literal manifestation of this type of shift, what other forms does it commonly take? How is the perspective shift best optimized for specific contexts and power dynamics (campfire storytelling, art exhibition, client presentation)?