Earth as Art
Wednesday, 4 November 2009
I used to dream of flying through space: observing life from afar. This habit of mine started not long after riding aboard an airplane for the first time in my life. Seeing parcels of land and clusters of buildings becoming tinier as I flew further away was a very fascinating experience. I was intrigued by the idea of scale - how acres of farmland transform into small patches of greenery, how the enormous expanses of mountain ranges become mere ripples and undulations, how lakes and rivers form intricate webs of small blue pools of water. It was a sight I had never seen before. And it was a sight that I would come to remember vividly. Now, in this day and age, with Google Maps as pervasive as it is, this bird’s eye view of our landscapes has become rather commonplace. Yet, somehow, the greatness of nature still fills me with awe.
Satellite images from Nasa.