Trevor McClintock looks at Big Ben as the quintessential Post-modern Signifier

2D Time Machine

In linguistic terms, this is a separation of the signifier from the signified, what the barn actually is and what it represents to these tourists have become detached from one another. They go to take photos of what the barn represents, rather than what it is. The interesting part of this is that it is an idea developed by the photographers themselves, by taking so many photos of the barn they have actually altered the meaning, rather than any real life event that may have added significance to the building.

I was thinking about this recently as I was walking through central London, thinking about what the newest Trevor McClintock article would be, as I walked by the countless shops selling London tourist souvenirs below Big Ben, I wondered to myself: when tourists take photos of Big Ben, what are they taking a photo off? This isn't meant as an insult to tourists, looking back on my photos from Paris there's a bunch of goofy photos of me standing awkwardly in front of the Eiffel Tower, and I know for a fact I didn't want a photo of myself and the entrance arch of the 1889 World Fair, I wanted a picture that said to people 'I've been to Paris, here is proof'.

What's strange to me however, is that the Eiffel Tower as signifier for Paris makes sense. The structure is elegant, refined and synonymous with love, just like the city itself. As a sign of the city Big Ben is a strange one. For me Big Ben represents an old, archaic vision of a monarchy dominated city, a place that had the image of 'Britishness' at its core. This isn't what London is now, London is an incredibly fast moving, diverse city that is struggling to find an identity, with many people being priced out of the city and the population having to deal with increased taxes and overcrowding, London doesn't have a definitive image that Paris does.

When tourists are taking photos of Big Ben, they're capturing a photo of a city that is distinctly two-dimensional, it's a snapshot of a city that's way more varied than a photo of an outdated clock would suggest. When I look at my photo of the Eiffel Tower I almost feel the same way, I'm looking at an image that conforms to my views on the city itself. Paris' inhabitants obviously see the city as more than just 'elegant and refined', but for me Paris is represented by my cliché choice of photo.

Taking photos of these landmarks is something that's been passed down from generation to generation, I know as a kid my father would take photos of a very small Trevor McClintock outside of landmarks all the time, so it's ingrained in us from an early age, to go to new places and take photos of their most famous buildings. It's important to look past these photos, to look past the photo of the barn, and see the barn itself - old, functional and real.