Warped Photos Give New Inception-Like Perspective of the U.S.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Junkyard.

Mind-bending digital artist Aydın Büyüktaş is back with a series of warped photos that will leave you scratching your head. As a follow up to his Flatland series, which was shot in his native Turkey, Büyüktaş shot and composited a new set of images following a trip to the United States.

With Flatland II, the Turkish photographer takes us on a journey across America, picking out the mundane and beautiful spaces that litter the country. But Flatland II is no ordinary set of travel photos. Inspired by Edwin Abbat's 1884 avant-garde novel, Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions, Büyüktaş presents these spaces as sweeping, flattened landscapes.

“We live in places that most of the times don’t draw our attention, places that transform our memories, places that the artist gives another dimension,” Büyüktaş shares via email, “where the perceptions that generally cross our mind will be demolished and new ones will arise.”

The digitally manipulated images call attention to the symmetry and color of spaces often left for granted. Two months of careful location scouting were needed for the photographer to select the perfect environments, while one month—and 10,000 miles—were necessary to take the aerial shots. The final images are digital collages using between 18 to 20 photographs.

What we're left with is a series of digital composites that make the United States seem like a scene from Inception. Curling upwards, a central line hurtles toward us, sucking us into this alternate, third dimension.

Flatland II takes us through Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and California via a warped lens.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Cemetery.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Bridge.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Cow farm.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

BNSF Yard.

flatland warped perspectives

Empty parking lot.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Red road.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Abandoned greenhouse.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Football field.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Baseball field.

A total of 5 months was needed—from location scouting to post-production—in order to complete this warped photography project.

warped photography

Interstate.

warped photography

Nursery.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Red hills on the road.

flatland photography Aydın Büyüktaş

Quarry.

warped photography

Farm with hay bales.

flatland warped perspectives

Desert railroad.

Aydın Büyüktaş: Website | Facebook | Instagram

My Modern Met granted permission to use photos by Aydın Büyüktaş.

Jessica Stewart

Jessica Stewart is a Staff Editor and Digital Media Specialist for My Modern Met, as well as a curator and art historian. Since 2020, she is also one of the co-hosts of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. She earned her MA in Renaissance Studies from University College London and now lives in Rome, Italy. She cultivated expertise in street art which led to the purchase of her photographic archive by the Treccani Italian Encyclopedia in 2014. When she’s not spending time with her three dogs, she also manages the studio of a successful street artist. In 2013, she authored the book "Street Art Stories Roma" and most recently contributed to "Crossroads: A Glimpse Into the Life of Alice Pasquini." You can follow her adventures online at @romephotoblog.
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