Dream of dimensions in photography

BNSF Yard, Flatland II [Photo/Aydın Büyüktaş]

Istanbul-based photographer and digital artist Aydın Büyüktaş has been a keen science fan – and a dreamer – since childhood. He enjoyed reading science-fiction books by popular writers such as Isaac Asimov and HG Wells, and constantly had dreams about the unrealistic ships and fantasy cities he saw from illustrations in the Ringworld series. "In my dreams, which I still have now, I'm often in dangerous settings," explains Büyüktaş. "I see pictures from different levels – one at eye level and one at bird's-eye level. Sometimes there are even more dimensional views."

Combining two such views in one picture was his vision for his 2015 photography project Flatland. The dizzying series featured 16 surreal 3D-effect photos taken from iconic structures in Istanbul and other cities in Turkey, and brought the international spotlight on the artist's body of work.

Bridge, Flatland II [Photo/Aydın Büyüktaş]

In October 2016, Büyüktaş set out on a second journey for Flatland II, a one-month, 10,000-mile solo trip across four American states – Arizona, Texas, California and New Mexico. From more than 1,000 photos taken, he selected 18 to 20 from different angles for each site or landscape, and achieved the 3D "bending" effect in Photoshop by overlaying the pictures. The post-production process took him two months.

His initial inspirations for the project began with a book – Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott, published in 1884 – that had been mentioned in another book, Hyperspace by theoretical physicist Michio Kaku. "While I was reading Hyperspace, I was obsessed by the question: if a black hole occurred in the place we live, how would it bend the space, time and place?"

"Dreamy" is the word Büyüktaş chooses to describe Flatland II. From the final 19 photos he presents in the series, viewers are encouraged to dive into the artist's multi-dimensional dreamworld. Exploring the possibilities of creating additional dimensions – and how to add them into his art – will be Büyüktaş' next endeavour on his never-ending journey to explore the unknown.