Alex MacLean (1)

In my review of Alex S. MacLean's "Designs on the Land," I lament the small size of the book, which leaves many of the landscape-oriented photos too small. That deficiency is overcome in this large-format collection of the photographer's "aerial activism," where the photos are given the requisite size to grasp details within the photos, not just their big-picture effects. Another difference between the two books can be found in the text: "Designs on the Land" includes essays and interviews show more but no explication within the captions; in "Over" the captions are the main source of information outside of the aerial photos themselves (I'd wager these captions are as important as the photos). Bill McKibben writes an introduction, one indication (along with the title) of MacLean's attempts at using his photographs to sway people in their choices about where they live, work, shop and play. I can't imagine doing what MacLean has done – documenting American from the air for three decades – without coming down as a staunch environmentalist whose photos convey the scale and circumstance of our impact on the land while still portraying its beauty. show less

Released in 2012, this book of MacLean’s aerial photographs reveals the rooftops that are alternatively home to mechanical equipment, gardens, solar panels, swimming pools, terraces, and observation decks. The cover photo is telling: sunbathers crowd the pool at Soho House in the Meatpacking District, unaware of the large air handler and other mechanical equipment one floor above them. The same is true of people across the city — outside of those living in high rises, that is — who can show more only imagine what is transpiring on the rooftops high above their heads. MacLean’s lens reveals that much of what is hidden on rooftops is exceptional, but just as much of it is mundane. And for every packed-to-the-gills swimming pool there are ten roof terraces full of furniture but free of occupants, or dozens of flat roofs without any provisions for occupation. Put simply, the book reveals the potential of urban rooftops, both actual and imagined, by revealing the hidden. Google Maps does the same, but not as beautifully as MacLean. show less