My composition is titled “Sanctuary of Consumption.” For this piece, I combined Gothic cathedral windows with the interior floors and spatial layout of an airport, transforming them into the setting of a ritualistic grocery store. Each element carries distinct associations: cathedrals symbolize spirituality, ritual, and collective gathering; airports suggest movement, transience, and global connectivity; grocery stores represent the everyday rituals of consumption and sustenance.
By merging these spaces, I want to suggest that consumer culture has become a modern form of ritualized worship. The cathedral windows frame the grocery aisles with a sense of grandeur, elevating ordinary acts of buying food into something almost sacred. At the same time, the airport flooring introduces an atmosphere of constant movement and impermanence—shopping here is not grounded in tradition but in efficiency and circulation, much like travelers passing through terminals.
To reinforce this commentary, I incorporated figures and details that anchor the scene in contemporary consumer culture. One shopper, distracted on their phone, pushes a cart of produce toward the self-checkout area, while another stands in front of the produce stand wearing a mask, carefully deciding what to buy. Self-checkout machines, along with a guiding sign, mark the conclusion of the shopping “ritual.” Between the produce and checkout area, a section of greeting cards bridges the space, creating continuity and emphasizing the blending of commerce with personal expression. On the far left, a Pepsi fridge stocked with beverages inserts a familiar brand presence, while overhead grocery store light fixtures brighten the otherwise dim cathedral, further transforming the sacred into the commercial.
This layered combination highlights how modern society has redefined where we seek community, meaning, and fulfillment. Instead of gathering in sacred or lasting spaces, we now congregate in environments built for commerce and circulation. The fabricated grocery store becomes a symbolic commentary on how rituals of faith and travel are replaced—or reimagined—through everyday consumerism.
ALL Links to images used in Architectural Blend Composition:
Candy Rack Link:
https://unsplash.com/photos/tulip-bulbs-are-for-sale-at-a-shop-MMYtcyI38O4
Airport Floor Link:
https://share.google/images/i08DDem5q58TKHFEI
Cathedral Link:
https://pixabay.com/photos/light-architecture-shades-church-5083606/
Lady in Red link:
https://pixabay.com/photos/woman-red-dress-phone-purse-bag-6576618/
Person shopping w/ green cart:
Self Checkout Sign:
https://share.google/images/KNnxYpKRi6fwC2Uyx
Self Checkout Machine:
https://share.google/images/xWEH8ygxlKyd30kD9
Produce stand:
https://unsplash.com/photos/variety-of-fruits-on-brown-wooden-crate-SU7vtzLonS8
Green banner:
https://unsplash.com/photos/a-one-way-traffic-in-operation-sign-in-a-mall-4bUeU2iTcw8
Shopping Cart:
Light Fixtures:
https://unsplash.com/photos/white-fluorescent-lamps-V1tZWfLowRY
Soda Stand:
https://unsplash.com/photos/a-young-girl-standing-in-front-of-a-vending-machine-rAB2w717N1s
Hey Elizabeth! Your piece looks really good overall. You’ve set it up in a Gothic cathedral space but swapped in grocery store details like self-checkout machines, produce stands, and even a Pepsi fridge. The tall arches and stained glass windows frame everything in a really dramatic way, while the modern grocery lighting kind of flattens it out and makes the sacred feel more commercial. The figures, like the masked shopper and the person with a cart, help ground it in the present.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the work feels like it’s about how consumer culture has become its own kind of ritual. The way the cathedral and grocery store elements overlap makes it feel like everyday shopping is being elevated into something almost sacred. The airport-style flooring adds to that sense of transience, like this is just another stop on a constant loop of movement and consumption.
Technically, the compositing feels solid, the pieces blend well, and the scale makes sense. It’s surreal but still believable enough that it gets the point across. I think the concept is clear and definitely hits the project goals of creating new meaning through architectural blending.
What I like most is how direct the commentary feels. It’s not subtle, but it works, you’re showing how sacred spaces of community and worship can be replaced by spaces of commerce. It makes me think about how often we gather in these kinds of environments now, and how that changes the meaning of ritual in our modern culture.