Smiley Face - 1/31

During last class we took what we had learned from the classroom and took it out into Downtown Orlando. When discussing the different aspects of postmodern architecture I always assumed that these characteristics could only be found in major cities like Paris or New York, yet I was pleasantly surprised to find that clues of postmodernism are found only 10 minutes away!
What I enjoyed most about the mini-field trip was the Orange Country Courthouse building and the Lynx Bus Station. With the courthouse I found that the moment I walked into the plaza I was instantly reminded of some sort of Vatican vibe in the way that there was a large building as the focus and jutting off to the sides were shorter buildings next to it. It was in that moment I really understood what tradition reinterpreted meant.
When looking at the Lynx bus station from a distance I clearly got the impression of the divergent signification found in the wave-like curvy shapes serving as a roof to protect people from the rain. I enjoyed looking at its artistic design in a more enlightened manner as opposed to the hundreds of times I had passed the building from I-4 and not known what it meant. Actually I would like to adjust my previous remark on now knowing what the design means, because I am obviously forgetting the importance of the individual's input into the final affect of the piece. I am not referring back to the tmesis that can only be filled by the viewer's presence and interpretation based on their experience and character.
The tmesis of architecture can be sees also as the tmesis of shapes and how artists have trouble finding the correct abstract or representational shapes to provoke their desired response from the viewer.
Overall, the characteristics of postmodernism are evident in most buildings which I am not beginning to notice more and more. Also, it is important to consider the tmesis of these buildings in relation to our postmodern era as well as the viewer's responses to them.