City Image and the Iconic Sequences (Trajan’s Column & the Vendôme column)

Tall historical monuments serve as visual references for city dwellers and visitors. These are the “landmarks,” one of the components of the image of the city described by Kevin Lynch (1). Trajan’s Column (2) in Rome and the Vendôme Column (3) in Paris are two examples of singular columns that fulfil this function of reference and icon in an urban space.

Both columns share a visual narrative with a helical reading (4) from bottom to top. From the pedestrian’s point of view, it is impossible to observe the sculpted images in detail, and Augmented Reality would serve as an effective means to visualise the monument’s iconography in situ.

Considering Historical reflection, the two monuments speak of heroes yet fail to convey the true image of the aftermath of wars: a scene rife with mutilated and disembowelled bodies. Paradoxically, the statue of St Peter now sits at the summit of the Roman column, while Napoleon Bonaparte (5), attired as a Roman general, stands at the apex of the French column.