For photographer Tim Allen, the view from 1500 feet up was as beautiful as it was alarming.
From his bird’s-eye view, four-metre logs morphed into rusty nails while trucks looked small enough to fit into a child’s hand.
Allen had been commissioned to photograph commercial properties up for sale in Melbourne’s west from a helicopter last year when he decided to capture some of the arresting scenery he was routinely flying over.
“Between travelling to and from these locations, I spent my time gazing out the door with my camera in front of my face,” he said.
“I would be chatting to the pilots on the headset while the others were looking out for oncoming traffic, as we were spinning in circles at 1500 feet. I got to know the pilots quite well, and we would always be spotting new infrastructure or a housing estate being built.”
Allen’s photographs capture logging stations, logistics hubs, Melbourne Airport’s taxi rank and freeways, revealing the beauty that can be found in the most unlikely places.
“Putting these images together surprised me,” Allen said. “I was able to truly appreciate the phenomena of human flight, but a part of me felt guilty about the landscape below.
“It told me a different story about my hometown. Something struck me about the earth’s future and the demand of our global technologies.
“Do buyers care about what the landscape looks like after they have purchased a new dining table from Ikea? My guess is they’ve probably forgotten.”
The artist hopes to exhibit his collection, called
Construct, in the Netherlands. In the meantime they can be viewed and purchased online at timallenphoto.net
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