THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR: An Aerial Vision of Latin America
WASHINGTON (July 23, 2007)–From National Geographic Books this September comes THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR: An Aerial Vision of Latin America (ISBN 978-1-4262-0132-5; Sept. 18; $50), a lavish new volume of dazzling photographs that takes readers on a soaring thrill-ride over the entire sweep of Latin America.
From the Strait of Magellan to the Yucatán Peninsula, from Brazil’s Atlantic coastline to the Cordillera Blanca of western Peru, this jewel of a book by renowned aerial photographer Robert B. Haas presents more than 100 captivating images that celebrate the timeless beauty of the land. Over two years Haas traveled to 14 countries — Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela — covering some 80 percent of the land mass of Latin America for a rare glimpse into the most spectacular and inaccessible corners of the continent from an awe-inspiring, lofty vantage point.
Leaning from open doors of helicopters and small planes, Haas captured patterns in the land, its wildlife and cities that only emerge from above — rivers meandering serpent-like through the undergrowth, strings of lakes glistening like jeweled necklaces, textured salt flats swirling into an abstract artwork, a flotilla of starfish embedded like gems on the shimmering seafloor.
Haas shows that beauty can be found in unexpected places: From on high, sewage treatment pools in Argentina take on the look of neat tile work, a lithium mine edging the Atacama Desert is graced with the symmetry of parallel plowed furrows, and bubbling water treatment pools in Chile morph into intricate patterns of lace and brocade.
When Haas turns his eye to the human element, such as a fisherman in the opalescent shallows near Fortaleza, Brazil, the subject is often mounted against the backdrop of intricate patterns found in the natural and man-made worlds.
In this rich mosaic of cities and towns, people, cultural treasures, dramatic natural features and great wildernesses, Haas’ lens captures the region’s vibrant colors, textures and rhythms. What attracts his attention the most is the “unparalleled diversity” of the land, a place where “the Andes, a massive line that threads its way across the entire length of South America, separating east from west…spawns both frigid glaciers and hot-blooded volcanoes.”
Interspersed among the double-page, panoramic photo spreads are journal-like reflections by Haas on the art of aerial photography and his experiences during his two-year odyssey.
The book is movingly introduced by noted Peruvian-American author and National Book Award-nominee Marie Arana, who accompanied Haas on one of his filming expeditions. “As I sped through the clouds with the extraordinarily gifted author of this book, Bobby Haas, he was showing me my native land as my ancestors had longed to see it — as every shaman who ever drank a hallucinogenic brew hoped to experience it…There are no borders here. There are no nationalities. One landscape merges into the next. For all the wars that have been fought below, for all the suffering that still plagues the continent, the view from the air is serene and neutral, and the land beneath us — seamless and whole.
“We leaf through the pages [of this book], given a condor’s power of sight, granted a regal dominion between earth and sky. We are, in one fleeting moment, high beings, all-seeing, invincible. And yet, looking down on the dazzling spectacle of Latin America, all we can feel is awe,” she writes.
THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR will be published simultaneously in English and Spanish, then translated into 13 other languages: Chinese, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (for Brazil), Serbian and Turkish. Proceeds from the sale of the book will go toward funding National Geographic’s research, conservation and exploration efforts.
Since 2002 Haas has focused his artistic endeavors exclusively on aerial photography in a quest to eventually capture the grandeur of all Earth’s large land masses from the air. THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR is a follow-up to his first National Geographic book, “Through the Eyes of the Gods: An Aerial Vision of Africa,” published in 2005. It has been translated into 17 languages and is one of the most successful single-photographer books published by National Geographic.
Photography is Haas’ parallel career. A graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School, he is chairman of the board and founder of Haas Wheat & Partners, a Dallas-based private investment firm that specializes in leveraged acquisitions and strategic investments. His firm has completed a series of noteworthy investment transactions, including such household names as Dr Pepper and 7-UP.
A selection of photographs from THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR will be exhibited at various U.S. cities beginning in September. Venues include Denver Museum of Nature and Science; Miami Museum of Science & Planetarium; National Geographic Museum at Explorers Hall in Washington, D.C.; NorthPark Center in Dallas; and Centennial Museum and Stanlee and Gerald Rubin Center for the Visual Arts, University of Texas at El Paso. An exhibit also will be hosted by the Prince of Asturias Foundation in Gijon, Spain, from September through December.
Haas will address the Organization of American States in Washington, D.C., on Monday, Sept 17. The following day, at 7 p.m., he will give an illustrated presentation on THROUGH THE EYES OF THE CONDOR at National Geographic headquarters, as part of the National Geographic Live! program. He will speak at the Miami Book Fair International in November.
###
