Deconstructivism
Deconstructivism in architecture, also called Deconstruction, is a development
in Postmodern architecture beginning in the late 1980s.
It is characterised by ideas of fragmentation, non-linear processes of design,
an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface
or skin, and apparent non-Euclidean geometry, which serve to distort and
dislocate some of the elements of architecture, such as
structure and envelope. The final visual appearance of buildings that exhibit
the myriad deconstructivist "styles" are characterized by
a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos.
Important events in the history of the deconstructivist approach include the
1982 Parc de la Villette Competition, Paris; the 1988
Museum of Modern Art Deconstructivist architecture show organized by Philip
Johnson and Mark Wigley in New York; and the 1989
opening of the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, Ohio, designed by Peter
Eisenman.
Some of the architects involved have been influenced by the writings of the
French philosopher Jacques Derrida and his ideas on
Deconstruction; others have been influenced by the idea of reiterating the
geometric imbalances of the Russian Constructivist
movement. In addition to constructivism there are also similarities in
deconstructivism to other art and architectural movements such
as modernism, postmodernism, cubism, expressionism, minimalism and contemporary
art. The attempt of deconstructivism throughout,
is to move architecture away from what they see as the constricting 'rules' of
modernism such as "form follows function", purity of
form, truth to materials, and expression of structure.
Deconstructivism is a movement in contemporary architecture that primarily
counters the ordered rationality of modernism. Its
relationship with postmodernism is also decidedly contrary. Though postmodernist
and nascent deconstructivist architects published
theories alongside each other in the journal Oppositions (published 1973-84),
this journal's contents mark the beginning of a decisive
break between the two movements. Deconstruction took a confrontational stance
toward much of architecture and architectural
history, wanting to disjoin and disassemble architecture. While postmodernism
returned to embrace—often slyly or ironically—the
historical trappings that modernism had shunned, deconstructivism rejects the
postmodern acceptance of eclectic historical references
and ornament. This rejection aligns it somewhat with the anti-historicism of
many modern works, and is a part of its definition as a
new movement.
In addition to Oppositions, another text that separates deconstructivism from
the fray of modernism and postmodernism is Robert
Venturi's Complexity and Contradiction in architecture (1966). A defining point
for both postmodernism and for deconstructivism,
Complexity and Contradiction argues against the purity, clarity and simplicity
of modernism. With its publication, functionalism and
rationalism, the two main branches of modernism, were overturned as paradigms
according to postmoderist and deconstructivist
readings, with differing readings. The postmodern reading was that ornament and
historical allusion added a richness to architecture
that modernism had foregone. Postmodern architects endeavored to reapply
ornaments to economical and minimal buildings, an effort
best illustrated by Venturi's concept of "the decorated shed". Rationalism of
design was dismissed but the functionalism of the building
was still somewhat intact. This is close to the thesis of Venturi's next major
work, Learning From Las Vegas, that signs and ornament
can be applied to a pragmatic architecture, and instill the philosophic
complexities of semiology.
The deconstructivist reading of Complexity and Contradiction is quite different.
The basic building was the subject of problematics and
intricacies in deconstructivism, with no detachment for ornament. The functional
aspects of buildings were called into question.
Geometry was to deconstructivists what ornament was to postmodernists, and
modernism was altered as a result.
This article is licensed under the
GNU Free
Documentation License. It uses material from one or more
Wikipedia article
|