David LaChapelle
Tower of Babel, 2024
Pigment print
50x50 inches
The Tower of Babel was primarily intended to get closer to God. It was built in Shinar in a time when everyone spoke the same language. But in the building process they began to argue and vie for power. God interrupted their plans by confusing their languages so they could no longer communicate. The people abandoned the tower and spread across various parts of the earth.
The tower is often used to illustrate the creation of different languages across the world. For David LaChapelle, the tower also represents a cautionary tale for humanity.
“Today, we are faced with the Internet, with people who talk all day long, with influencers, podcasters, politicians... Everyone has an opinion and wants to shout it from the rooftops. Everyone is talking and no one is listening.
“We built the set and a model of the tower at our studio. The clouds were made of cotton and painted to match the backdrop. The city scape is a projection of Los Angeles. The tower was designed to explode so it would crumble over the characters below. I rehearsed this scene carefully with actors who were specifically cast to reflect different cultures from the far ends of the earth.” - David LaChapelle
The tower is often used to illustrate the creation of different languages across the world. For David LaChapelle, the tower also represents a cautionary tale for humanity.
“Today, we are faced with the Internet, with people who talk all day long, with influencers, podcasters, politicians... Everyone has an opinion and wants to shout it from the rooftops. Everyone is talking and no one is listening.
“We built the set and a model of the tower at our studio. The clouds were made of cotton and painted to match the backdrop. The city scape is a projection of Los Angeles. The tower was designed to explode so it would crumble over the characters below. I rehearsed this scene carefully with actors who were specifically cast to reflect different cultures from the far ends of the earth.” - David LaChapelle
DLC018/2025