The View from Above

If you've ever been in an airplane, you know what the world looks like from above. But this view is the long-distance version of the planet, a scene taken in from 30,000 feet. It's only during those brief moments of take-off and landing that you see the world the way birds do, from a few hundred feet in the air or lower. Photographer Robert B. Haas traveled above fourteen South American countries at these low altitudes, shooting from small planes and helicopters to capture a new angle on the world. His full-color images reveal the intricate patterns of life that cover the surface of the earth. From a zigzag line of cattle wending their way through a shoulder-deep marsh to the overlapping glass scales of a Colombian greenhouse to the brilliant cerulean eye of a sinkhole at Belize's Blue Hole Natural Monument, Haas' photographs reveal a world both familiar and foreign. Through the Eyes of the Condor: An Aerial Vision of Latin America, an exhibit of Haas' work, is currently on display in the Ridgway Visitor Center at Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard; 314-577-9400 or www.mobot.org). The show is open daily through Wednesday, July 8. Regular garden admission ($4 to $8) applies.
April 12-July 8, 2009