Landslides Aerial
Cover Photograph : Notes from the photographer , Alex MacLean
I was unaware of the sculpture until I came across it while on assignment for the Boston Redevelopment Authority . This is one of the exciting things about flying . I knew it was worthy of photographing and capturing when I saw it from the sky . It was a bit tricky because as I circled it , it would sometimes be completely translucent without much color . The key was finding the best angle that expressed the colors of the sculpture and also showed how it was attached to and supported by ropes in between the buildings . It was nice having people and trees in the photograph to give it scale . One of the dynamic parts of the installation is how it changes from different viewing angles with the direction of sunlight . It ’ s a brilliant public space installation by Janet Echleman .
The Photographer
Pilot and photographer Alex MacLean has flown his plane over much of the United States documenting the landscape . Trained as an architect , he has portrayed the history and evolution of the land from vast agricultural patterns to city grids , recording changes brought about by human intervention and natural processes . His powerful and descriptive images provide clues to understanding the relationship between the natural and constructed environments . MacLean ’ s photographs have been exhibited widely in the United States , Canada , Europe , and Asia and are found in private , public , and university collections . He has won numerous awards , including the 2009 CORINE International Book Award for OVER : The American Landscape at the Tipping Point , the 2003-2004 American Academy of Rome ’ s Prix de Rome in Landscape Architecture , and grants from foundations such as the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting in 2014 . He was most recently a fellow at the HWK Institute in Delmenhorst , Germany .
Books by the Photographer
Alberta Tar Sands , Supply + Demand ( 2015 ) Up on the Roof : New York ’ s Hidden Skyline Spaces ( 2012 ) Chroniques Aeriennes : L ’ art d ’ Alex MacLean ( 2010 ) Las Vegas | Venice ( 2010 ) OVER : The American Landscape at the Tipping Point ( 2008 ) Visualizing Density ( 2007 ) The Playbook ( 2006 ) Designs on the Land : Exploring America from the Air ( 2003 ) Above and Beyond : Visualizing Change in Small Towns and Rural Areas ( 2002 ) Taking Measures Across the American Landscape ( 1996 ) Look at the Land : Aerial Reflections of America ( 1993 )
Learn more about Alex MacLean at www . alexmaclean . com , www . landslides . com , or email him at alex @ landslides . com . MacLean maintains a studio and lives in Lincoln , Massachusetts .
Cover | Image photograph courtesy of Alex S . MacLean / Landslides Aerial Photography
Boston Society of Landscape Architects Fieldbook
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