Wellington International Airport, New Zealand

Raivavae Airport, Austral Islands, French Polynesia

The long lines, lost luggage and cramped seats of airports hardly sets many people in a contemplative mindset. However sometimes it simply takes a bird’s-eye view to appreciate the world below. Enter Lauren O’Neil‘s Holding Pattern, a visual feast of patterns and textures from the skies all in one blog. Forever fascinated with everything aviation, O’Neil seeks to expose the exquisite beauty of the organized chaos, capturing runways from around the globe while seated at her desk.

Struggling with creative block during a project, the designer turned to browsing various airports on Google maps for a momentary distraction. What she saw in the satellite imagery was an intricate play of lines and form, all elements circling and moving in anticipation of departure. Whether a crisp landing strip at Heathrow or a grassy municipal airfield, Holding Pattern reveals the delicate clockwork and elegant precision of humanity in flight.

Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey

Copenhagen Airport, Denmark

Barcelona–El Prat Airport, Spain

Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Georgia

London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom

Barajas Airport, Spain

Zurich Airport, Switzerland

McCarran International Airport, Nevada

Boston Logan International Airport, Massachusetts

O’Hare International Airport, Chicago

via WIRED