Monsters under our feet

Since ancient times, people could not give up the habit of inventing mythological creatures, scary monsters and monsters with supernatural powers. Looking at the stars and clouds, they saw shapes that the obliging imagination turned from century to century into silhouettes of wonderful creatures that later became heroes of myths and fairy tales.

Today, thanks to Google Earth satellite imagery, we repeat the habits of our ancestors with one exception: now our gaze is directed not to heaven, but to our home planet. An example of such visual research was the project of the Argentine photographer Frederico Wiener Ultradistancia ("Overdistance").

Using the "divine" look of Google Earth, Wiener looks for silhouettes of monsters (and other intriguing things) in the landscapes of planet Earth. He carefully examines the outlines of ports and peninsulas, the borders of countries and cities to prove the existence of the most incredible creatures. Some of the forms were deliberately assembled by Frederick into a single picture, the rest are just a lucky coincidence.

Port of Avellaneda, Argentina

Kimberly, Wisconsin, USA

Punta del Este, Uruguay

Taipei, Taiwan

La Coruna Park, Galicia, Spain

Doha, Qatar

Drigge, Germany

Bender-Khomeini, Iran

Mumbai, India

Denholm, Germany

Nina, Wisconsin, USA

Wisconsin, USA

La Ronde Amusement Park, Montreal, Canada

Chicago, Illinois, USA