Smiley Face - Jencks

One part of Jenck's article that stuck out to me was his understanding of the importance of history to Postmodernism and consequently the architecture and art work that comes from the postmodern era.

Jenck's break-down of the different aspects of Postmodernism are all linked to history, particularly noticed with the description of 'traditional reinterpretation' whereby architecture and art must evoke the past and the present. As stated in the first sentence of the article, "often in history there is a combination of continuity and change" the reliance on history is fundamental to the functioning of postmodernism in society now. The crucial part of representing history is the representation of it accurately. In CMC 200 we have just been discussing a WWII video game that has bent the facts of history to make it adapt more to the selling of their game. The education of history is originating from what is around us, in media etc, rather than from a classroom or from facts. For example, there has recently been an influx of WWII/Nazi Germany movies that has hit the box office such as 'Valkyrie' and 'Defiance.' As history is being represented more in media it is becoming part of public memory, which it then being interpreted within a private sphere leading to the possibility of misinterpretation.

For the past to be the fuel for the present it must be respected and represented exactly how it happened without distortions made to it otherwise we will in fact be changing history.