As seen from on high, Japan's earthquake -- container cars and automobiles scattered helter skelter -- create a surreal portrait of devastation. Landscapes of chaos, image after image, all bring to mind an unimaginable apocalyptic reality.
Yet, the bird's eye view keeps us at a distance. Through the media, we remain spectators and voyeurs -- we are looking down upon humanity from the cheap seats. It is uncomfortable to convey that aesthetically, the images, which may be pleasing to the eye, mask a tragic reality in some ways. Aesthetically, there is repetition of form, unity, contrast, and the dynamics of line -- all the elements of design our eyes have become accustomed to.
At first, the images may be hard to make sense of in the minature and it difficult perceive the magnitude of the scene that reaches beyond comprehension and at times consciousness.