Ⓒ Aydin Büyüktaş

In 1884, English theologian Edwin Abbott wrote the satirical short story Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions. The story has a dual subtext that questions Victorian societies and hierarchies as well as the idea of thinking about multiple dimensions. Though it was not widely popular during Edwin’s life, the idea of multiple dimensions he presented has gone on to inspire people such as Stephen Hawkings and Carl Sagan. The story itself has been recreated into several short films and has been mentioned in science fiction pop culture mediums like The Big Bang Theory and Futurama. Most recently it has been the inspiration of a new book by Dallas, TX based drone photographer Aydin Büyüktaş.

Born and raised in Ankara, Turkey, Aydin attended Bilkent University where he studied under the Tourism Management Department. While in university, he developed a deep interest in photography, filmography, visual effects, and 3D animation. Aydin decided to drop out of school and moved to Istanbul where he had the opportunity to work with several award winning film and advertising production companies. It was in Istanbul where Aydin discovered drone photography and honed his mastery of the art.

Being particularly interested in landscape drone photography, Aydin set out to create a collection exploring the different dimensions he could find in a seemingly normal setting. Inspired by how Edwin questioned the bounds of multidimensionality, Aydin used his drone to raise the same questions. “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; where the perceptions that generally cross our minds will be demolished and new ones will arise,” Aydin said. “These works aim to leave the viewer alone with a surprising visually ironic as well, multidimensional romantic point of view.”

His first book was titled Flatland and features unique dimension bending drone photography taken throughout Europe. Aydin explains that to achieve his specific style he bands and edits together at least 17 images taken by a drone. Rather than lay the images out in a straight line, Aydin curves and bends the images into a trippy collage. The final result is a seamless landscape that folds into itself. Some people have likened Aydin’s images to the computer generated scenes found in Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film Inception. In one image, he shows the dimensionality of Instanbul’s Kadikoy Stadium by stitching together a fluid view of the stadium. The image starts with the front of the stadium, then curves inward like the swoop of a roller coaster to show the inside, before sweeping up again to a view of the back of the stadium.

For Aydin’s second book of drone photography, titled Flatland II, he moved to Texas. “The area is like heaven for a photographer,” Aydin said. Vast rolling plains with scattered hay bales contrasted with congested rows of trains at a rail depot are just some of the images Aydin chose to capture with his drone. The landscapes of the American Southwest present so much contrast that they prove to be ideal for the discovery of dimensional exploration. With Aydin’s drone and editing skills, he can take a landscape and distort it in a way that makes you question if you are experiencing the third dimension.

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