Intriguing, highly detailed images by French photographer Thomas Jorion (b. 1976) reinvigorate abandoned spaces and forgotten architecture. A new series, entitled Vestiges d’empire, documents buildings in the former French colonies, shedding light on their poignant, deeply human histories.

Jorion explains: “Visible signs of  exchanges and of the French overseas presence were left behind.  My taste for adventure, traces of time and memory-related venues initiated the project. However, with time I understood that these ruins could not be considered like any other ruin.”

The artist continues: “I could not merely show them beautiful or aesthetic, as they are loaded with the burden of history which weighs so heavily on the present. I wanted to capture them on my negatives so that their stories may live on.”

The artist was featured in Aesthetica Issue 59. Find out more about Jorion’s work here. 

Credits:
1. Bedroom for single warder Saint-Joseph Penal Colony Guyana 1897.
2. Court of First Instance Chandannagar India 1760.
3. Bokor Palace Hotel province of Kampot Cambodia 1925.