The Age of Spectacle // Tom Ardron

These photographs are part of a coincidental collection Ardron accumulated during a period of fieldwork for his MPhil in Architecture. This set was taken outside the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, and show the lengths to which some people will contort themselves, or their family members, within a shot of the building. The assumed priority of photographic evidence over experiential memory of a space or building is an aspect of contemporary society Ardron finds fascinating, and taking the time to consciously step back to photograph people trying to get the “perfect” or “original” shot is always revealing – particularly at the Sagrada Familia, where the interior experience is the acme of its architectural expression. 

TOM ARDRON is a fifth year MPhil in Architecture and Urban Design student at St Edmunds College, Cambridge. He uses his photography to augment the subjects of his architectural design thesis.