The area in southern Spain known as mar del plástico is a landscape dominated by vast stretches of greenhouse farms. From the ground, it looks like nothing but roads winding through a maze of covered crops. But when seen from the air in photographer Bernhard Lang’s images, things look a bit more surreal.
Lang’s extensive portfolio of aerial photography spans industrial sites, oceans, and suburban tracts—all revealing the geometric abstractions of human activity as seen from above. His trips through the Almería region of Spain are some of the most striking. The coverings over the crops of fruits and vegetables create a surface that resembles some sort of incredible futuristic cityscape.
In truth, the structures aren’t even solid. They are made from plastic foil stretched over huge swaths of land. If you navigate to the region using Google Street View, it reveals itself to a largely unremarkable farming landscape:
It’s only out sheer quantity and uniformity of color that the landscape becomes what it is in Lang’s photos. His honed sense of composition in framing the greenhouse only accentuates their abstract wonder.
Visit Bernhard Lang’s website for a whole lot more aerial photos. You can also follow him on Facebook and Instagram.
All images copyright Bernhard Lang
