Penny Lane- Jencks Late

Jencks commentary on post-modern architecture is extremely relevant to several of our readings. Neo-classicalism follows Benjamin’s conception of the original vs. the copy. Benjamin asserts that nothing is authentic anymore because reproduction is so pervasive throughout our mass communicated society. Everywhere we look, something familiar can be identified and critiqued. This is especially relevant in architecture. Neo-classicism is a stylistic rethinking of Greek and Roman aesthetics. Large columns, white wash exterior, statues, and even artificial aging of the structure is often applied to achieve a more realistic look. American culture is especially guilty of this perpetual duplication and dilution of foreign culture. The United States is such a relatively new nation that we tend to adopt other influences as our own. Another one of the structural patterns Jencks discussed was the absent center. This term defines a building that is missing a large segment from of the structure in order to create a focal point from the exterior. I find that this stylistic choice is closely paralleled by the writings of Macherey. He asserts that what is absent from the text is more important that what is present. This same notion applies to the absent center form because the missing portion ultimately becomes the most prominent feature of the structure. These connections indicate that the ideas found in post-modern theory are relevant to anything and everything. The house you live in, the clothes you wear, and even the food you eat has all been defined and constructed through some type of ideological force.