“More and more, abstract aerial desert photography is becoming my lifetime project”, says the Liechtenstein-based photographer Roland Blum.
His ongoing work “Poetry of Silence” was created in the Namib Desert. The Namib Desert is often referred to as the world’s oldest desert. It has been in existence for some 43 million years, remaining unchanged in it’s present form for the last 2 million years.
Extending for 1,200 miles (1,900 km) along the Atlantic coast of Africa from Namibe (formerly Moçâmedes) in Angola southward across Namibia to the Olifants River in the Western Cape province of South Africa. It reaches inland 80 to 100 miles (130 to 160 km) to the foot of the Great Escarpment. The southern portion merges with the Kalahari on the plateau atop the escarpment. Its name is derived from the Nama language, implying “an area where there is nothing.”
The Namib is an immense expanse of relentlessly moving gravel plains and dunes of all shapes and sizes stretching along the entire coastline.Without getting too complicated, the spacing of ripples is related to the average distance grains jump. This in turn, is related to the wind velocity and size of the grains. Wind ripples are often very spectacular, especially when the thousands of tiny ridges catch the shadows of early morning or late afternoon. Wind and sand create majestic dunes which are constant yet ever changing. They move across the desert, sing to the wind and inspire our creativity!
“Poetry of Silence IX” is a series of black and white photographs showing the abstract patterns, shapes and lines of the unique desert landscape of the southern Namib. As the desert is the most abstract of all landscapes, the additional abstraction inherent in black and white photography creates a timeless impression. Blum has specialized in abstract photography since the early 80s. Since 1994 Roland Blum has worked as a journalist, photographer and producer in addition to his work as Head of Music at the national broadcast company Radio Liechtenstein. [Official Website]
