German aerial photographerTom Hegenhas dedicated his craft to exploring the impact that humans have on the natural world.
By photographing these glowing giants, Hegen shows the beauty and mystery of this technology.
The photographs themselves are an artistic look at the structures, remaining neutral in their judgment.
Beautifully framed, each image is a masterful look at a landscape artificially shaped by humans.
Read on for My Modern Met’s exclusive interview.
How did you first hear about Holland’s LED Greenhouses?
All this made it appealing for me to visit the area.
How do they fit into your overall work about how humans are shaping the planet?
As mentioned earlier, my work is based around the topic of theAnthropocene.
What were your first impressions of seeing them from the sky?
It almost looked like UFOs had landed and parked closely together.
What are, in your opinion, the positives and negatives of this technology?
How did these structures stimulate your creativity?
The contrast of bright colors in the dark night made them very eye-catching.
This is actually also my first project where I didn’t just shoot straight down.
I wanted to show how these greenhouses reach up to the horizon.
Why do you think it’s important that the public is aware of these greenhouses?
Most fruits and vegetables that we find in our supermarkets are available in enormous amounts and all year round.
This is a luxury that we take for granted.
A great number of tomatoes that we see in stores have never touched any natural soil or rain.
Showing these places makes the circle of the food chain more transparent.
What do you hope people take away from the images?
I want to sensitize the viewer about what it takes to keep our luxury living standards.
These photos are for me a mirror of society, economy, and technology.
What’s coming up next?
At the moment I am in Spain, starting to work on my new aerial photography book.
It will be a long-term project with a body of work centering again around human interventions in nature.
The book will be likely to be published in 2021.
