post-it note, 1/31/2009

After learning about post-modern architecture, I began to wonder how buildings known for such design could also be safe. Moving away from structure toward aesthetics creates an emphasis on the look of the building rather than the structural integrity. The structural integrity has been understood in the past primarily because the façades that were visible were seen as more appealing than the industrious materials hidden beneath. But buildings, such as Pompidou, exemplify the elements of architecture in order to create interest and define a new design ideal rather than reinventing the column and cross-beam. This technique has sparked in me an interest in architecture, such as a look behind the scenes of a sporting event creates interest even in people that did not like the sport before the tour. Being in the locker room and being where the players spend several hours a week creates a profound understanding. The perspective of an inside-out building in every aspect, including form before function rather than function before form, as in the past, allows those who do not read blueprints to see the inner workings of a structure that otherwise would have to fit and curve intricately within the walls. The colors used for the utility pipes and air ducts are the artistic interest given to the building that otherwise would not matter. In this way, the entire building is art. The entire building can be seen as long as access is allowed inside and out. The environment of the Pompidou reeks of creativity and uniqueness which is also the goal of the artists who have artwork on display inside the building as well. Therefore, the structure of the museum is a permanent exhibit to the Pompidou. This exhibit draws many people to its doors and efficiently sells itself. The building has drawn me in, and I have only seen photos of the outside.

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.

Marie89, 1/31

I found it really interesting to take our in-class learning into the real world and analyze buildings we probably did not give much thought to previously. I never thought of skyscrapers as very pretty or interesting, but after seeing all of the different facets that go into making buildings different or cohesive or historical, I now catch myself taking a second look at different architecture. Skyscrapers use to seem to me as just building in which to hold offices with some windows to make it not seem like a dungeon. In reality, there is a lot more thought put into each and every aspect of the buildings. I think that applying our learning about postmodernism to different objects like buildings in the real world helped me to better understand the concepts learned in our class. I had no idea that there were so many different types of architecture, either. It is cool to see how much thought actually goes into creating artwork and that there are different classifications for it all. It makes one wonder about other things as well. Sometimes the most arbitrary seeming thing actually has a lot of thought and motivation behind it. Who knew that architects utilize different elements to connote to different things? Once we arrived at the Bank of America building, I kept on noticing new aspects that I could apply to our learning. I never would have realized those aspects before, but once I noticed one thing, I kept on finding new things that would also apply. One thing that I found really interesting was the fact that the Bank of America building was shaped as a church steeple which connoted a worshiping of money. One would have never noticed it because of its subtlety but once one takes the time to analyze it, it brings on a lot more meaning. It’s amazing what types of things you notice once you take the time to look.

Rubber Soul, 1/29

Todays field trip was very helpful in understanding the different facets that postmodernism employs through architecture. I started noticing so many more buildings after our adventure today and kept thinking about what kind of themes were present. It's funny how certain things go unnoticed until you are taught to look at them a certain way. Our major is another great example of this idea of learning the sort of under the radar information, which benefits people if they are taught to understand the media in a different light, instead of absorbing it without a critical eye. The buildings today, can tell you a lot about a culture through the postmodern themes they represent. Tradition reinterpreted, for instance, exhibits the type of culture we still see as aesthetically appealing and honorable in the way we build structures to represent that style. Double-coding is an aspect in architecture where a structure doesn't only serve as a function but it is also ornate and interesting to look at. We saw an example of that with the Lynx building where the exoskeleton for the wave-like structures not only serve as stabilizers but also they exert an interesting visual appeal. The court-house was a magnificent building that I probably wouldn't have appreciated as much if we weren't told to take a minute to examine it. Anamnesis was apparent in this building because it looks like the giant "seat of justice" with the central building as the back of the chair and the two protruding buildings on the side as the arms of it. Overall it was an enlightening experience, and really helped me think out of the box when it comes to architecture.

CMCstudent Urbane urbanism building

As soon as the slides of “urbane urbanism” were presented in class, I immediately thought of Baldwin Park. Driving through, one is graced with the presence of “classicism” and “urbane urbanism”. Dr. Rog said urbane urbanism uses more than one building, making them all look like they belong together, built very close together in order to make one feel like the buildings have been there all along, when it is completely artificial. This is exactly Baldwin Park. All the houses are spaced out perfectly, so close to one another that no side yard exists. One can also see classicism being used, as the houses are made up of symmetry and pillars. I am from the Orlando area and have seen Baldwin Park being “made.” Those who are not from around the area talk about Baldwin Park and sometimes I find it funny when they act as though it has been there forever. That is the point, to make it seem like it belongs. Not only do the houses look alike but the entire community structures match. For example, the Subway shop in the downtown/ shopping center is in a building exact to the apartments that lay across the street. Nothing in the community sticks out, and they are constantly adding additional buildings that look the same!

000ooo000ooo 1/29

It was fun to be able to go out and see the things we had been talking about in person. However, I think that a new type of architecture should be created where there is no thinking of this type involved. The architect shouldn't consider how everything ties together, what it all relates to, and what purpose different architectural aspects serve. They should just put random things where ever they feel like it. It wouldn't really be like radical eclecticism because there wouldn't be two or three distinct styles all together, it would just be a huge mish mash of different things. This is really a lot more representative of the real world anyway because there is no order or design behind cultures and countries or anything, it all just happens and sometimes makes sense but usually doesn't. Why not build a glass skyscraper with stone castle turrets and all of the pipes on the outside and gargoyles on top and no center and then a feng-shui garden at the bottom. I guess it could be kind of like radical eclecticism but with more different styles than you can count. It sounds like it would be weird but so does a building that flashes pictures of other buildings. Plus, the architect who drew this design up would become famous because there would be no word for it and somebody would have to create a new word to describe the style. Postmodern futurism?
I'm sure that before they were actually put into play, many of the different post-modern styles also seemed strange; a building that looks like a boat? Diagonal cubes on top of buildings? You're going to take the entire center out of the building? All new ideas seem weird at first. Throwing all of these things together would probably make people feel very uncomfortable, and this is something that has proven to be very effective throughout the history of art. I guess the only problem would be getting someone to fund this multi-million dollar experiment.

Yellowdaisy4, 1/29

I really enjoyed class today because we were able to have a first hand experience of what we were studying. It is hard to grasp the concept of something 3-D like architecture in just a picture let alone just reading a description of how it is designed. It was interesting to see how the different types of designs that were explained in the Jencks reading were displayed in actual buildings. I have seen the buildings in downtown Orlando many times but have never really stopped to look at them and appreciate the architecture. The Bank of America building was fascinating because it seemed to have included each different type of design. When looking at it at first, I noticed it had disharmonious harmony with the square straight line designs paired with the pyramid and circle shapes. I also noticed how it had tradition reinterpreted in that the building had modern straight lines and squared windows with traditional classicism columns in the front. The absent center aspect was also very clear to me because we were sitting in it being the atrium which adds an aesthetically pleasing aspect and has a function as well. What I was really surprised to see was that the building even displayed anthropomorphism which I did not notice until it was pointed out to me. I thought that would be very hard to find in most normal looking buildings. I also found it fascinating that the trolly stop was urbane urbanism because I would have never of guessed it was new until I was told because it just seems like it fits and has always been there. The bus stop was really cool to analyze because I always see it and think of waves and a roller coaster. I didn't realize until this week that was anamesis working. I, additionally found it cool that that building had divergent signification because it seemed the structure was on the outside but still served its function. Lastly, the court house was interesting to look at because it has such a unique design as well. I found it really intriguing when Dr. Rog pointed out that it looks like “the seat of justice.” I probably would never have noticed that but after talking about it and seeing it, I'm surprised my all the cool designs I miss because I don't spend enough time admiring the things around me.

Happy Birthday!, 1/28

Tuesday’s class was really exciting, and a nice change in what we had been studying in previous classes. I’ve always found the art of architecture so amusing because there are so manyyyy styles, and it keeps evolving as we speak! I also learned much more than I ever knew about architecture, which was enlightening because I feel like now whenever I see certain buildings I will be able to identify them and be able to critique and give a somewhat educated opinion on the architecture.

My favorite type of architecture to learn about was the radical eclecticism type. This type of architecture draws me in and entertains me. I love new ideas, and new looks—and I love contemporary and modern designs. When learning about these different themes of postmodernism, one particular building came to mind that’s actually located here in Orlando. It’s called the WonderWorks building, and it is supposedly the most photographed building in Orlando, and it’s one of those cheesy tourist hot spots. This building (pictured below) is supposed to resemble a house that has fallen out of the sky and landed upside down. This type of architecture in my opinion is a mix of tradition reinterpreted, divergent stratification, and new rhetorical figure. I mostly think it is tradition reinterpreted because it is taking a traditional looking house (except it’s huge) and flipping it completely upside down to give viewers a radical view of a house.



I really enjoyed learning about the different themes of postmodern architecture. My least favorite was the Urbane Urbanism because I thought it was boring and not original. Like I stated earlier I love the radical eclecticism look because it’s different from what I’m used to seeing. It’s original and exciting to look at. I’m really looking forward to our field trip tomorrow!

Scorpio, Jencks Theory

Architecture is an art in society. Throughout history, architecture has become a transition of design and themes based on culture. For example, classical designs like the Parthenon are known for symmetrical lines and sturdy designs. In relation to their architecture, the Romans built many of our sturdiest societal structures, such as democracy. Art Nuevo was a major movement during the Enlightenment in Europe. This artistic concept was decorative, curvy, frilly, and visually pleasing. The thinkers of the Enlightenment rediscovered the beauty of art: thus building from this time were creatively manipulated. An example of the Art Nuevo movement can be seen in La Metro powerpoint slide from our class on Tuesday. Here, a simple metropolitan sign is turned into a work of art. More modern designs have sprung up across American cities in the recent years. Famous architect, Frank Lloyd Right, designed modern houses that seemed naturalistic in style.
Jencks wrote about these transitions that may be applied to architecture. He alludes to the theory of anemnesis as a product of our culture. From here, we can see that a cultural change or shift may influence the style of our buildings. In addition, we can create modern building to reflect the world around us.

MerryChristmas!, Jencks

The beehive building towards the end of Dr. Rog's powerpoint struck me as being very impressive. Not only does it reflect the actual look of beehive, but the building also seems to tilt to one side as if it were about to fall over. In a way, the building reflects anamnesis in that it looks like an object (in this case, a beehive) and not an abstract object. However, I am almost certain that the building was not created in order to sell beehives. Perhaps I have a misunderstanding of the term, but I wonder what this would be called if not anamnesis.
The building also reflects multivalence because multiple levels on the building are apparent and they have depth to them. Buildings that reflect multivalence also have nothing that is squared off. In this case, there are no sharp edges to the building. Every aspect of the beehive building is round. Additionally, it is also interesting to note that the glass on the building building is not symmetrical. One side of the building (the front) is more open, the glass is shaped differently and one can see the makeup of the building itself. While on the other side, one can see layers of glass that are difficult to see into.
One can argue that the building also reflects double-coding. Because the building is at a tilt, perhaps the visible overlay in floors provides more structure to the building. At first glance, I considered this aspect of the building to be interesting, it looks as if one floor is exceeding the next and that they may fall. The layering of the floors adds depth to the building, but I imagine that it also serves as a practical and functional feature as well.

WoolyBully7, Jencks

The picture in Barcelona of the orange and brown building with the very curvaceous window style is a great example of Jencks’ disharmonious harmony. This building, sandwiched in between what looks like traditional Spanish/Mediterranean architecture, reminds me of a part of the more recent version of the movie “Time Machine.” The futuristic human race lives on the side of a cliff where the living quarters just floors covered with bamboo reeds built directly onto the side of a cliff overlooking a river. I feel that this building’s location, juxtaposed with classic architecture native to that region, helps it stand out even more.

Modern architecture is often environmentally focused and this building almost looks like its constructed from mud, at least from the outside, like the ancient Mayan, Aztec and Incan Indians mud houses. This indeed is not a classical revival, it is a completely new look that appears to be a restaurant on the main floor with apartments above carrying on the same theme. This architect must have known this project was difficult requiring a lot of skill to accomplish what the building owners had imagined. People from all ages and backgrounds should be able to appreciate this building which was complex in construction, yet simple on the exterior to street pedestrians. The theme is carried up the entire height of the building and flows extremely well complementing the base of the structure. This dissonant beauty may not work well with people who are not architect-savvy since it really is so different from its surroundings.

The picture in Barcelona of the orange and brown building with the very curvaceous window style is a great example of Jencks’ disharmonious harmony. This building, sandwiched in between what looks like traditional Spanish/Mediterranean architecture, reminds me of a part of the more recent version of the movie “Time Machine.” The futuristic human race lives on the side of a cliff where the living quarters just floors covered with bamboo reeds built directly onto the side of a cliff overlooking a river. I feel that this building’s location, juxtaposed with classic architecture native to that region, helps it stand out even more.

Modern architecture is often environmentally focused and this building almost looks like its constructed from mud, at least from the outside, like the ancient Mayan, Aztec and Incan Indians mud houses. This indeed is not a classical revival, it is a completely new look that appears to be a restaurant on the main floor with apartments above carrying on the same theme. This architect must have known this project was difficult requiring a lot of skill to accomplish what the building owners had imagined. People from all ages and backgrounds should be able to appreciate this building which was complex in construction, yet simple on the exterior to street pedestrians. The theme is carried up the entire height of the building and flows extremely well complementing the base of the structure. This dissonant beauty may not work well with people who are not architect-savvy since it really is so different from its surroundings.

The pictures of the buildings were very interesting. I have never been to most of those places so, so that beautiful architecture opened up a near world for me. I really could appreciate the architects work; those buildings are full of creativeness and artistry. One of my favorites was definitlythe building that was made to look like a face. I liked it because since it looks like an animal using anthropomorhism it looks realy naturalized. Even something like a mechanichal can opener looks more apealing if it looks like a rabbit. I like the urbane urbanism also because really reminds me of home. I live in an apartment building in new york and i see this alot wiht the new buildings around me; urbane urbanism some what feels homey. I would love to visit the part of france where the glass pyramid is in the middle of the taditional catherdral. i think radical ecleticism is very thrilling and throws people off when they see it. It really suprises me that the architect can have the audacty to put their artwork somehwere random like that because some people tend to hate things like that, because its so different.

weezy27/Jencks

In class we viewed many slides of different buildings around the world. Each of these buildings consisted of different elements discussed in Jencks’ article. As I sat in class and watched the dozens of beautiful buildings pop up on the screen I began to think of the many places I have traveled. I thought about the different buildings I have seen and started categorizing them, in a sense, with the terms we learned through the Jencks’ article. For this post, I am going to list off the terms that were most interesting to me and why. The first term is disharmonious harmony. Disharmonious harmony is when an artist, whether it is art, music, etc., takes as many different styles as possible and places them together to make them work. Once I learned this term can be categorized as a piece of music I began thinking about all the other types of art that could be considered disharmonious harmony. I immediately thought about the many different songs today that incorporate multiple genres of music. For example, the song by Tim Mcgraw and Nelly which really made a large statement in the music world when it came out a few years ago. The second term is urbane urbanism. When we were told that Baldwin Park was a great example of this, I was amazed. I think that it such a neat concept which is very pleasing and attractive to people. The term interesting term is anthropomorphism. This is such an interesting concept because it is a great technique that attracts many people as seen in the examples of the animal-like objects sold at Target these days. However, after learning about anthropomorphism (because I kind of think its weird) I wandered why this type of art was a high selling or attractive product?

DBA126, Jencks

In class we viewed many different buildings that depict different themes discussed in Jencks’ article. One that particularly stood out to me was Tradition Reinterpreted. I began to think of different places I have been where this takes place. While I was in Yokohama, Japan our ship was docked at the Osanbashi Pier. Once we were inside of the port terminal we realized it actually looked like you were on a ship. To design a port where international ships dock like ocean liner I thought was a great example of tradition reinterpreted, as well as double coding. The port reminded you on its purpose, a place where you boarded and disembarked from a ship.

Jencks proposes many ideas about how the old and new come together to create the future. On page 281, Jencks writes, “the present mode looks disturbing, partly because it is both strange and yet very familiar.” I feel this quote does explain many structures we see. The Osanbashi Pier was familiar because it reminded us of what we already knew. But to actually create and reinterpret something old, the architect created something very new.

dmariel, Jencks

Last semester I was in an art history class called Visual Culture.  Part of the semester was dedicated towards postmodernism and architecture.  After reading the Jencks article, I was thankful to have already had a sense of what some of the vocabulary meant.  I think it was helpful in my understanding of the reading.  I didn’t expect a lecture about architecture, but it was a great learning experience.  I now visually and linguistically understand the connotations of these complex words.  The concept of urbane urbanism was especially interesting to me after a recent trip to Celebration.  Personally, I find that beneath the beauty of the community that Celebration is somewhat fake and creepy.  My boyfriend lives in Baldwin Park which is comparable to Celebration, but not near as bad. Both communities are representative of a town in itself, with all the stores and facilities that you would need for everyday life. The community looks as if its been there forever, when really it is somewhat brand new. 

Some of the architecture that we looked at were things that I never knew could even possibly exist. For example, the tower in Hong Kong that can bend backwards and forwards to withstand earthquakes.  Divergent Signification appealed to me in that the architectures are really showing people what goes into making buildings by adding a stylistic effect to the functions of a building.

I also associated traditional reinterpretation with the concepts of pastiche and parody. Almost everything that we believe to be ‘new’ today is a compilation of traditional elements. This is much like traditional reinterpretation, where you take a classic design, remodel it and use it in a different way.

I look forward to our trip on Thursday to the bank of American building.  Ironically, I have a dinner reservation there for Friday night at the restaurant on the top floor.  I have never been to the building, nor the restaurant so I think it will be exciting to check it out.  Working in downtown Orlando, I have now become much more aware of the types of architecture and what they mean in society and the history of Orlando.

Asyouwish/1/28 Chrysler building

Design has always been of interest to me, and thus when traveling I like to stop at the historical structures along the way. I have been to or passed by many of the structures in today’s powerpoint, of which include: the Parthenon, the Paris Opera House, all of Gaudi’s famous works, the Miami beach building, the Louvre, the building in New York City which is now I believe the BMW building, the New York City apartment building, the Pompidou, and the London Train station.  Having been so fortunate as to see these buildings first hand it is hard to pick just one to analyze.  I have therefore chosen to analyze a different work that was not on the slide show because you had already spoken a bit about the above structures and I wanted to start my analysis on a clean slate.

 The building I have chosen to structurally analyze is the Chrysler Building.  Growing up in New York City I saw this building on a regular basis and to this day I still believe it is one of the coolest, most elegant skyscrapers I have ever seen.  The Chrysler Building would probably be categorized as modern, it is a skyscraper as mentioned before and thus fits into this category because it not only serves a function but also has a pretty standard form.  The top part of the building however is more Art Deco than modern because it contains the use of mixed shapes such as triangles and depicts a crown like image.  The top of the building also contains decorative gargoyles.  These various details are what have made the Chrysler Building stand out from the other skyscrapers of the world.  The Chrysler Building was built during the 1920’s, during the peek of art deco architecture.   While writing this post it has also come to my attention that gargoyles are actually not historically an art deco structure but rather more gothic, thus this work could also be categorized as radical eclecticism.  The structure of the building itself is quite modern and the gargoyles are a normally considered a middle-age church ornament.  Thus the Chrysler Building can be called a work of modernism, art deco and radical eclecticism.

 

Murphy, Jenks

(this is my pre-class post of the week, since there is no reading for thursday)

One of the first ideas that Jenks puts across to the reader is,"The only escape from rule-governed art is to suppress from consciousness the cannon behind one's creativity - hardly a comforting liberation." (281) If this is true, I find it ironic that immediately after telling the reader to ignore these cannons, he defines them in a detailed list. Only after doing a second reading of the article did it occur to me that we cannot ignore something, or at least try to think outside of it, if we cannot identify what it is we are trying to get around. By making us aware of these eleven canons (and there are more that aren't mentioned), Jenks is giving us the knowledge we need to rise above them and "think outside of the box."

The first cannon that I immediately could think of an example for was #5 anamnesis. The idea that when we see something, right away we subconsciously relate it to something we've seen before. I'm from Indianapolis, and I often visit Chicago. In Millennium Park there is a fantastic sculpture called Cloud Gate. Almost everyone I have ever come across that has seen this sculpture calls it "the bean".

Another great thing about this example, is that it can fit into more than one category of cannons, as can most examples of architecture. I would also classify it as falling into #2 radical eclecticism. In the picture above, there is a beautiful juxtaposition between this rounded, shiny, mirrored sculpture and the tall block structures in the background. I would also argue that this would fit into the category #11 absent center. To really appreciate this cannon, one must visit Cloud Gate. It has an arch like shape, and people can walk under it and look up. It will be interesting when I go back to Chicago, because I know the first thing I think of when I see "the bean" will be Charles Jenks.

Dot, 1/28

Before reading Charles Jencks' article and definitely before attending class on Tuesday, I had very little appreciation for many types of architecture. Although I do realize when a building looks interesting or unique, I have never known the exact term or way to talk about such buildings. 

I have found that in many CMC classes, I have learned more specific details about things I already know a bit about and in doing so am able to heighten my curiosity and understanding of the world we live in. I often find myself just living life and taking many things for granted, especially the magnificent architecture the surrounds us, and not really stopping to learn about unacademic things that interest me. So far in CMC 300, I have learned numerous things that I have always wanted to know, but never took to time to investigate on my own. 

For instance, when I was applying to colleges my senior year of high school, I had no idea where I wanted to go or what I wanted to major in, but I thought that architecture and designing buildings sounded interesting. This idea was shot down by people who told me my inferior math skills would never allow me to be a major architect, but still I was curious. As I got more and more into the college search I forgot all about the idea of architecture and have never really thought about it since... that is until our class on Tuesday. 

In class, I was reminded why I loved the idea in the first place. Many of the buildings that we saw pictures of and the terms we discussed are, in my mind at least, very related to different forms of art. I see the buildings as the architect's canvas and the different concepts as his or her medium. I would like to ask an actual architect if this is how they feel about it, but for the time being I think it makes buildings much more interesting if we think about them in this way. I am very excited for our field trip tomorrow so that I may be given the opportunity to examine what I hope to be some great pieces of art which happen to be in our own backyard. 

Asyouwish/1/27/09 Structures

While discussing anthropomorphism during class today and being shown the one example of the building with the face, a few more anthropomorphic structures came to my mind. Both structures that came to mind were inspired by the movie Patch Adams. The first Patch Adams structure was created as a joke by Robin William’s character Patch Adams for the visiting gynecologists. He put huge legs on either side of the main entrance thus making the doorway a gynecologist’s specialty. Buildings do not have limbs, people and animals have limbs, and therefore by giving the building legs Patch gave the building anthropomorphic features. Another building in Patch Adams also has anthropomorphic features. In the Patch Adams designs the future Gesundheit Institute at a dinner in the movie by putting nose glasses on a napkin holder. This napkin holder creation is then made into a real building that has a nose, mustache and ears on it. During class today a lot of architectural structures real and fictional came to mind after being shown the different structures in class today. Another fictional structure that came to mind was the Ivory Tower from The Never Ending Story whose structure came to mind when seeing Dubai’s tallest building and the California church by Robert Shuler. It seems all these different types of structures we learned about are not only applicable to the real world but to the world created by Hollywood and the film industries.
However I was able to think of more real structures, which pertained to some of the structural terms we discussed today. The city of Dresden is known for its historically old look, but has had newly added buildings which were created in an old style as to blend in with the old. Therefore the city structure of Dresden could be categorized as Urban. There are a lot of different buildings in the world which are designed in different ways and after today I will be analyzing them more much than I would have liked. It seems the way I look at the world is already starting to change. :)

Yellowdaisy4, Jencks

I found the Jencks article about architecture to be very interesting because I was unaware of all the different types of architecture there are. At first, it was hard for me to understand what Jencks was talking about just through his explanations but eventually after looking at the pictures in class, I was able to understand his point more clearly. I found the disharmonious harmony and radical eclecticism styles to sound the most fascinating because I like the different look of mismatched designs merging together, whether they are completely different or working in unity with one another, because it stands out. Anthropomorphism was very cool because I didn't even know buildings shaped as faces or with human characteristics even existed and I like that concept. Additionally, the absent center style caught my attention because Disney's Contemporary Hotel is one of my favorite buildings because of the hole they have in the middle of the hotel where the monorail comes through. I find that type of design intriguing because it makes you feel like you are in the action. I also like how it serves a function which is to easily get hotel guests into the Disney Parks and to display the famous monorail up close. This brings me to divergent signification and double coding which stylistic elements serve for purpose as well as style which is a good idea for buildings which need to function as something in order to be successful. Moreover, I have noticed urbane urbanism before but never knew exactly what it was or how to explain it until reading Jencks. An example of buildings that look like they've always been there and are traditional but are actually pretty new is the Portofino Hotel in Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida. The Portofino is designed to look like an old Italian city like Venice yet is just designed after that city and is just a copy of tradition for a hotel so tourists can feel like they are not really just in Florida. Lastly, I don't think I could have understood what multivalence was,which is a building that has multiple layers of design with depth, or what was new rhetorical figures,which is like the cathedral type buildings, without seeing pictures of them in class.

PetiteEtole, Jencks

It was very interesting to talk about the different styles of architecture. I would never had realized that so much thought and planning went behind the designs. To me a building was just a building, it never represented all these different things we discussed. I'm also very glad we discussed this in class because if we hadn't I would still not know any of these things because I read the reading very carefully and still could not understand all of this. I'm glad we did too because its pretty cool to be able to see the different styles now when I look at buildings. Such as the neoclassicism style which is mostly straight lines. Completely different from the aesthetic art nouveau with it's ornate details flowery aspects. The art deco style is very distinct, but I had never known what to call it. It originated in Germany and consists of lots of squares and curves and there's a lot of it seen in miami. Frank Loyd Wright has created some beautiful architecture that takes this deco style and attempts to make it look natural, as though it has grown out of the earth. Modernism is the clean cut, square style of architecture seen in most metropolitans. Disharmonious Harmony takes as many different styles as possible and tries to fit them together with some form of harmony. Radical Eclecticism puts two completely opposite things together without any attempt at making them mesh. Urbane Urbanism tries to add to the old and make it look like it had always been there. Anthropomorphism gives human characteristics to architecture, such as the house with a face or the building that looks like a boat. Metaphorical anamnesis is when the shape of the building is directly related to what the building is for, such as the donut shop that was in a building shaped like a donut. All of this was very interesting to learn and made me want to go traveling and observe architecture besides all the things I would normally see.

ashlayla, Jencks

Out of all of the concepts that Jencks talked about in his essay, urbane urbanism was easiest for me to understand. I was in Dr. Foglesong's Disney and the City intercession this semester and we talked a lot about new urbanism. During one of our field trips, we went to Celebration which is a town that uses principles of urbane/new urbanism. It's pedestrian oriented and most buildings are "mixed use." When I was reading Jencks, I got excited because I knew what he was talking about. In my intercession we were asked if we would ever want to live in a town like Celebration, and well, I'm still up in the air because Celebration is almost too perfect for me. One of the pictures on the powerpoint was a building that looked exactly like the Bank of America building in downtown Celebration. The staircase is on the outside but it goes nowhere. When Disney owned Celebration that used to be their headquarters, but now it’s just a bank. To me, the most unique concept that Jencks talked about was anthropomorphism. I think it’s a really creative way to build unique buildings. I see it as a way to get more business, because how many businesses have buildings that look like a face? It almost makes the business, or house, like a tourist attraction because they are somewhat rare. I’m excited for our field trip to downtown Orlando because I want to be able to pick out these different concepts that architects have used in their designs.

-ashlayla (Jencks post)

Brookes77, 1/27/09

In class today we focused the discussion around the Jenks' reading that was assigned. The different types of art and architecture were really interesting to study and discuss. We looked at architecture all over the world that differed from each other, and some that resembled each other. As i spoke about London in my previous post, i couldn't help but relate my thoughts to my other travels through out Europe, and then seeing pictures of buildings and Hong Kong and the Netherlands. I visited the Opera House in Paris and saw how beautiful and classic it looked, along with a lot of the Architecture in London. They were very similar. Although I clearly remembered when speaking about to Louvre, how random the glass triangle was right in the center of it, which I learned today, was an example of Radical Eclecticism. The triangle looked out of place and modern, and it does not fit with the classical, ancient architecture behind it.
When we were discussing the theme Anthropomorphism which basically means architecture that has facial characteristics from humans and putting them into their architecture, i immediately thought of my trips to the Hamptons in New York city. Each house on the water looks significantly different from one another and of the people i know who own them their houses resemble their characteristics and personality. Some people are very flamboyant and their house is huge towering over others, while another person enjoys modern architecture so their house is built using cubes. Another In the Hamptons one can see first handedly how architecture differs from each other and can resemble certain things/people/characteristics.
Another important point we discussed in class is Urbanism. An example of this was Baldwin Park. Just a few days ago i was driving through Baldwin Park and was "creeped out" by this notion of building a town, that is suppose to look like its been their for ages, over night. When driving through Baldwin Park, it looks like Pleasantville, there is a certain characteristic of the feel of the town that shows it has not been their forever. I know this just because i have been in the area while the community has increased there. Yet this theme of urbanism has become popular in America, and another eerie example of this is Dubi. Dubi as a whole has been built up from quickly ground zero, yet this is another clear example of Urbanism.
It was nice to see all the different types of architecture all over the world in a slide show because seeing them because reading them did not make as big of an impact on me as seeing the different types and very extreme types of architecture and their functions did. Is shows how over time we develop many different ways to express our cultures, our time period, and ourselves.

LightningBolt, 1/27

Today in class we discussed Jencks’ guidelines to postmodernism. Dr. Casey mentioned at the beginning of class that these guidelines apply to more than just architecture. Most of the examples we discussed in class were about architecture so it was a little difficult for me to expand these guidelines to other dimensions of life. Dr. Casey did give a no architecture example of disharmonious harmony, mentioning the new phenomenon of mash-ups. This could also work in writings; if an author started a book as an accurate review of history and then focused in on a romantic story which may be fiction and added in poetry or science fiction. Disharmonious harmony seems like a good way to keep things fresh and exciting. For example there are only so many story lines that a movie can follow. It must be much harder now for script writers to come up with ideas than it was years ago when films were first becoming popular. If a movie combines many different genres into one movie it would help to keep the audiences attention. If a movie attempted this, but it was too dramatic for the viewers taste it would be considered a radical eclecticism.

Divergent signification is another topic that seems like it could easily relate to other areas besides architecture. In a story a character may serve several different stories. The writer may have needed to add a character in so that the main character could tell a story out loud to someone but that character may also be acting as the comic relief of the story. I am a bit unclear what the difference between divergent signification and double-coding are. This extra character is also an element added to a larger story, serving multiple purposes.

Multivalence seemed like such a literal concept in class, but I think it could also be related to other topics. If a story is told by many different people and the narrator keeps switching back and forth, this may provide different dimensions. Multicalence in this form may cause some confusion; however, I think that is part of the purpose of multivalence: to add a complex dimension which causes viewers or readers to think harder.

thestig, 1/27

ginger griffin, Jencks

"Now, rules or canons for production are seen as preconditions for creativity, s situation caused partly by the advent of the computer, which makes us conscious of the assumption behind a building." (Jencks, 281)

Like architecture, postmodernism has the ability to bend in ways one thought never possible. Within architecture there are, or shall I say were, certain rules in which one must engage when designing a building. Now, the best aspect of architecture in today's society is the simple fact that there seems to be no rules. It seems to me, that for once you are allowed to think outside the box without the governments strong fist over you telling you what to do and how to do it.

He talks about classical rules, rule governed art, and new rules that come about in this day and age. He uses a few of words and doubles them, so that ou understand the meaning to be that much stronger: "urban urbanism" and"Disharmonious harmony". And that one cannot excape these rules because it is "impossible to remain ignorant to these." (281)

My point is this, postmodernism has no specific shape, it has no specific rules, and it has no specific people telling you how to think or what to think about it. I am not sure if I have nailed this on on the head, but after having read the article and read previous posts before mine, I feel that this is how Jencks is relating architecture and postmodernism together.

Kuloco, Jencks

“Rules, however, do not necessarily a masterpiece make, and tend to generate new sets of dead-ends, imbalances and urban problems. Hence the ambivalence of our age to orthodoxy and the romantic impulse to challenge all canons of art and architecture while, at the same time, retaining them as a necessary precondition for creation: simultaneously promoting rules and breaking them” (294).

I think it is interesting how Jencks points out the relationships between Classical styles and Postmodern ideas. One would usually believe that they are completely separate entities, forming a sort of past and present and influencing the future. However, each of the eleven canons that Jencks mentions contains a movement away from Classic forms and show how Postmodernist ideas interpret the ones that have come before them.
I also found it interesting how Jencks describes “Postmodernism” and any other term with the prefix “post.” He says that they are “culture[s] that has a strong sense of its departure point, but no clear sense of destination” (293). This relates to a lot of things that we have studied in CMC and give a definition of events that have happened in history. Some of these anti-hegemonic thoughts resulted in the Revolutionary War, the Collapse of the Berlin Wall, and even with art during the various Renaissances. The most recent example could be the past United States Presidential election of Barack Obama. His platform of “change” obviously shows the departure point—the movement of Republican to Democrat leadership, hopefully a positive change in the economy, a way out of War, and many more. However, even though we voted for “change,” as a country, we are still unsure of what the future will hold for us.
The thing I found most interesting in the article is in the end of my starting quote—“simultaneously promoting rules and breaking them.” I feel that this is how we all function and it is easily related to other texts and historical events. This supports his claim that the eleven canons are “understood as relative, rather than absolute” (281). Our ideas are ever-changing and the addition of new “rules” create new eras, like in Jencks’ case of architecture and art, and are also always open to interpretation and change. This change results from, as Macherey previously noted, the critical analysis of past texts and how we, as readers, associate and fill-in the silences with our own ideas.

jl0630 - Jencks

I really liked the section of “post” and what post means. Jencks stated that in the word post, there is an appreciation of cultural roots and values and preexisting patterns. So when we say, “postmodernism” for example, we are suggesting a foundation of modernism that has been redefined with time. In everything, history has repeated and redefined itself on a number of levels – the anamnesis, or historical continuum. Whether it be gender roles – a topic I know we are all familiar with being critical media majors – or architecture, there is some foundation to be rooted and referred back to.
With post there is always a pre, and that pre – whether it may not be relevant to the past or present – there is an existence that justifies the meaning. Referring back to gender roles, we can look to old films and TV shows – like leave it to beaver - and clearly distinguish the homemaker, children, male/female and breadwinner roles. Though this image has been altered this present day, there is this idealist foundation of family life that still molds the quintessential American household.
Who defines the rules is also an interesting take-off of post as well. Jencks also talked about politics in reference to Marxism - and how these ideals can remain even if the rule does not. I think a better comparison to our recent election. Though democracy is a foundation of American rule, both Bush and Obama are going to have two different adaptations and interpretations of how to rule our country, as did George Washington and Abraham Lincoln.

thestig, Jencks

Postmodernism uses double-coding – irony, ambiguity and contradiction – to “allow us to read the present in the past as much as the past in the present, as if history proceeded by a gradual evolution of permanent forms rather than a succession of revolutionary styles each one of which obliterates its predecessor” (Jencks 289). In reading this section, I couldn’t help but think what would Marx say? In Sociological Theory, we just read part of Marx’s German Ideology, in which he explains his Materialist Perspective, and how we can understand a society. His writings suggest that in order to understand society, what’s most important is to study the economic system. Jencks would not agree with this, arguing that it’s culture, whether it is art, architecture, plays, and rhetoric, which define the history of a State. With postmodernism, we are able to understand where we came from, but have no idea where we are going.

My dad is an architect, so I hear a lot about design principles from him whenever we are traveling are just walking around. One of his, and therefore my pet peeves of design is when an architect chooses to build something that is completely out of place. For example, some developments up north are designed to look like an old Italian Villa. I understand that the owner and architect might appreciate the design for their own reasons, and that’s fine; what I’m trying to figure out it why do they like it? What is the point in trying to be something that is completely outdated? One of the benefits of living in this postmodern world is that we have the opportunity to create things that are radically different. To me, an architect’s job is to be the mastermind of the future – to keep innovating and creating new art that will tell a story about who we are. After all, life is short, and art is long.

Trapnest, Jencks

Jencks’ proposal of “canons” or rules that we have enforced upon the art world is interesting. I feel that these rules often occur after the fact, as Jencks point out with the “seemingly spontaneous” art movements of the recent centuries after we have observed them it seems natural for them to implement our own rules to apply to them. Then it is through these rules that we apply as an outside force that we attempt to understand the movements. Not only do we attempt to use this as a means for understanding the movement, but we then attempt to further apply and teach said rules to future students and enthusiasts. In a way, this reminds me of tmesis in that we are taking a text, the postmodern art, and as we’re reading it we “edit” it and begin to apply our own thought to it.

As I was reading all of the canons things like anthropomorphism stuck out to me, things done by the artist to resemble human features, or the concept of suggestive narrative within the artwork. All of this combines and seems to me that rather than things being created simply for the art of creating something, the texts must have a story. They must be double-coded (which I understand as “reading between the lines” to put it in layman’s terms), involve rhetorical figures (renewing previous ideas through stylistic choices of aspects of the work) and so fourth. And, perhaps that is the argument of postmodernism in art and architecture. I personally see it as simply a way to begin to obscure and define things that don’t necessarily need a definition. Art initially was created for very specific purposes, religion, gentry, ect. However, there was a point in Art History where Artists gained an independence and personal worth in their craft, which I feel is a very important point in history. To keep attempting to define every movement of the pen, every stroke of the brush, is near insult to many of the artists seeking independence from previous notions of confinement and definition in what art is.

post-it note, Jencks

Many cities have varied architecture. The Emergent Rules by Charles Jencks discusses commonality and its importance in architecture. Because there are so many periods in history that can define and utilize certain shapes and concepts, any architect’s inspiration might discourage another. The ninth “canon for production” is “tradition reinvented” where the aesthetics developed long ago are reused in a different way or a different setting ect. to mean something else. (281, 291). I believe that this is the reason why I engage and appreciate the architecture in cities that I have never been to before. Traveling to them and seeing the buildings on a blank canvas, if you will, highlights the edges and details otherwise overlooked on buildings in cities where I have preconceived notions or memories that substantiate my understanding of that city.

Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa, FL has been named the ugliest road in America on several occasions. This highway is littered with intersections that pave the way to old strip malls and inconsistent architecture. It is the absence of a common theme on this highway that creates confusion and “ugliness.” Being on the highway is like being in a fun house; silly and inconvenient obstacles are randomly placed because all fun houses in the past have had obstacles and odd activities in them. But Dale Mabry has rewritten the definition of “highway.” The highway is not a straight-shot to somewhere, but is a road to many places with many lanes for turning cars, cars doing “u-turns” and cars trying to remember where Target is located. The inconsistency creates noise pollution and a “thanklessness” for the modern technology of road building and the offerings of several eclectic businesses and restaurants.

A city is confusing in its own right, but that is part of the understood culture of a city. Because we can look past the fast walkers and the honking cars, the architecture stands out. The differences in the buildings become landmarks and the city becomes traversable.

aro0823, Jencks

In the Jencks reading, the idea of “presence of absence” really stuck out in my mind because it so well connects to our past readings-- readings that encouraged the audience to critically evaluate and analyze the unsaid. Here, within the context of art and architecture, the audience is encouraged to return to this “absent center” and take note of it, yet still transcend its boundaries. It is important to know the history of the art form you intend to modify. I likened that idea to the old adage of taking one step backward to go two steps forward. Postmodernist artists aim to preserve their given art forms while simultaneously revamping it by using a mixture of historical precedents.
The deeper that I delved into the reading, the more I understood post-modernism to be original only in its combination of different historical precedents that had never before been fused. Jencks used example after example of a given postmodern artist mixing modern and classic elements to create a groundbreaking masterpiece. This idea is similar to DJs remixing songs and beats. One such example is DJ Swindle’s production of Bobb Deep, resulting in a blend of the lyrics of Mobb Deep and Bob Marley beats. Similarly, DJ Team Canada layers Beatles music underneath the wise words of Notorious B.I.G. to create an unique sound. Interestingly enough, Team Canada is revered as “innovative” and “original,” even though none of the work is his own.
Postmodernists are not necessarily the most creative individuals in terms of groundbreaking discoveries, but they do have a knack for ironically and paradoxically juxtaposing two seemingly contradictory styles. My right-brained self has trouble imaging any revolutionary and earth-shattering art techniques being invented in the near future, so I can understand Postmodern mixology with respect to art. Architecture, however, is different because scientific and technological breakthroughs allow for continued innovation in building design. I predict that up and coming artists will have great difficulty pushing the boundaries of their fields while their architecture colleagues of the coming years will continue to thrive.

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.

LightningBolt, Jencks

Jencks makes an interesting comparison between postmodernism and “classical rules.”

“These canons are not universally held by postmodernists and some are contingent upon the momentary historical situation arising after Modernism. They thus contrast with the older notion of classical rules in being understood as relative rather than absolute, responses to a world of fragmentation, pluralism and inflation rather than formulae to be applied indiscriminately.” (281/ 281)

What we have learned about postmodernism so far only helps to reaffirm this statement. Unlike modernism or a more classical time period, postmodernism seems to have a loose, fill in the blank, any thing goes, mind set. As we have seen with tmesis postmodernist value the importance of creativity and invention. I was a bit surprised when Jencks first offered a collection of set rules to define and understand our architecture. I then realized that even Jencks himself was just offering these as guidelines, and as he says they are relative not absolute.

Another part of Jencks article that was particularly interesting to me was his 3rd rule, It was most interesting to me because I do not fully understand it. He begins by referring to urbane urbanism, which I assumed was referring to a city. He talks about the combination of old and new and finding a balance that keeps the city functional yet savors some of the old beauty. At the end of the paragraph I believe Jencks is referring to a theorist named Krier’s when he says, “The urbane way of life is simply better than s the dissociated and ovrcentralised city.” (285) I understand that presenting both sides of an argument is the proper way to express your theories; however, Jencks does nothing to discredit this thought or further explain why his way of old and new combination in cities creates a perfect atmosphere.

coolbeans, Jencks

Jencks starts out his essay by stating that often times history consists of a combination of continuity and change which can be confusing for people because the way that we view the old as well as the new are both altered in this process. Similarly with Postmodern Classicism the meanings, value and forms of modernism and classicism are changed and formed as one hybrid combination. The combination of the two makes the meanings of things seem modern and familiar as well as classical and unfamiliar. What Jencks is saying makes a lot of sense to me. I am currently, taking an introduction to art history class and in the class we are discussing Neolithic art. For most of us in the class this kind of artwork is so different because it is hard for us to put ourselves in the shoes of the people from that time period because we cannot even imagine what it was like in those days. When we try to put a modern context into art from this time period it does not make sense. For example, in class we were discussing whether or not a hut built by people could be considered to be architecture. To us, the hut would not be considered architecture because we think of buildings such as the National Cathedral or the Arc du Triomphe to be works of architecture. But maybe to the people living in that time period, these huts were created not to just serve a purpose of functionality, but also to be as visually pleasing as was possible of that time. For us, we just see a prehistoric hut and have trouble connecting our modern thoughts with those of a past era so we are confused by this disparity. The Neolithic art is so in the past that it is unfamiliar when we try to think of it in terms of our modern sense.

Happy Birthday!, Jencks

Jencks offers multiple definitions of the term postmodernism to clarify to his reader the many different approaches one can take to understand its meaning. The one definition I found most helpful was near the very end of the piece when Jencks states, "...the age of eclecticism, we have the freedom to choose and perfect our conventions, and this choice forces us to look both inwards and outwards to culture as a whole."(294)

Personally i love this era that we are in when it comes to architecture and art. I love having the freedom to decide what I think a piece of art may or may not stand for. Don't get me wrong I love realism paintings as well, but for some reason the abstract pieces and "hybrid combinations" catch my eye. Jencks describes these abstract pieces as "disharmonious harmony". I think this type of art is crucial. It appeals to a larger audience because it speaks to more people. I remember in middle school always taking a field trip to the Cummer Art Museum. We would always be shown the typical landscapes the were very accurate with flowers and trees and a boy and girl swinging in the background--a very fluffy kind of pictures. No one was ever really interested in these pieces because there weren't multiple truths behind them...they were very clear and not thought provoking. Yet, once we got to the paintings of three different colored lines...that got everyone thinking. It is abstract and makes you think, instead of showing you what it is--the artist has left you to decode its meaning. Jencks even states that eclectic language speaks to a wider and more divergent audience (283).

An important aspect to postmodernism Jencks reiterates is that the piece of art or architecture should invoke feelings from the past and linking them to the present, or in his words "suggested recollection". This is important because it allows viewers to search elsewhere for the unified meaning, and apply their own meaning as well. Also, it creates a harmonious aura and a paradoxical genre.

After reading this piece, Jencks has further clarified my understanding of postmodernism seen throughout art and architecture.

Rubber Soul, Jencks

Postmodernism: "strong sense of its departure point, but no clear sense of destination" and
"equally as determined to retain and preserve aspects of the past as it is to go forward... excited about revival, yet wanting to escape the dead formulae of the past"
These quotes were most helpful for my understanding of the term postmodernism. Jencks offers many facets of how postmodernism is practiced in art and architecture. He says postmodern art and architecture represent paradoxical views of oxymorons. Postmodern ideas include a "disharmonious harmony" in which juxtapositional tastes and world-views are appreciated as being more real. For an example, he describes a painting that mixes classical and modern styles which produces a work of art that is perceived as a little confusing, but entirely left up to the viewer's discretion to interpret however he/she wants. He also describes a theme in postmodern architecture called "anthropomorphism." It means that inanimate objects or in this case, buildings are built to suggest forms of the human body. We interpret these buildings in conjunction with the way we feel about the likeliness of the body parts it portrays. Anamnesis is another term that is stated in understanding postmodernism. It's referred to as a "suggested recollection" or a "narrative without a plot." These types of works allude to a historical continuum of interconnecting the past and present. Works of art using anamnesis allows the reader to search for representative forms but the significance of their story is left undetermined in the work itself.
After reading this piece, I have a clearer idea of the meaning of postmodernism.

Trapnest, 1/22

I couldn’t help but engage in my own temesis in class last time. Thinking and re-writing the class when it was occurring. The picture of Marilyn Monroe made me think of an age old saying with regards to clothing I’ve been told once before, “It’s not how much you show, but how little.” In other words, it’s not how much skin you show but how little. Now, I realize I’m outing myself as a girl here, but I think it’s very true. I’ve spoken with countless guys on the subject and many will say, the girl who shows off the most skin is often less enticing than the girl who is dressed much more modestly with little peaks.

Relating this to media texts I think it is true that we will re-write, re-read and relate to the texts as we’re reading it. I was also thinking about how we related it to when two people are having a discussion. It is often the cast that we feel that we need to interject, it’s almost seen, and I feel, as a necessity to the conversation. Like we are not a part of what’s occurring if we’re not adding our own “two-cents” to it. It is the back and fourth play that we have with the other person that most people are taught to signify a conversation. It is only natural that we should then do this with the texts we read. If we are to “properly” interact with it then we must add our own information and tidbits to it. Even though we discussed “Readerly Texts” where this doesn’t, or shouldn’t occur, I personally think it’s impossible. Even in an instruction book someone is very likely thinking to themselves “Oh, this assembles just like…” or “I knew these two pieces would go together.” To have a text completely exempt of this would be completely impossible because it goes against our nature.

Murphy, 1/22

The idea that "when we see authorship we quit re-writing and start analyzing whats already there" rings so true to my personal experience and what I would consider human nature. Dr. Rog brought up this idea of seeing a text and immediately changing it to fit our ideas and experiences. And changing the meaning in a way that would apply the text personally. Whereas when we see a text, such as the poem we looked at in class, that has the authors name at the bottom, we stop trying to make it our own, and instead we begin to try and figure out what the author is trying to say and why.
The different interpretations of texts are what cause conflict between different groups, cultures, and nations. Tmesis is what creates these different readings of the same text. Dr.Rog explained that individuals begin sticking their moral and ethical beliefs into the texts and suggest that they are better than the others. The idea of one person believing their interpretation of a text begins at a very early age. It can be seen in classrooms, homes, and churches all over the world. I know that I personally have argued my ideas on what a story, poem, or sign meant to me, and many times relentlessly believing I was right. After time and experience I can say that I agree with Barthe wholeheartedly when he suggests "allowing and accepting different versions of the texts to avoid conflict." Arguing one's ideas is acceptable and admirable, but claiming superiority and not considering other peoples ideas is ignorant. Barthe states, "Let differences surreptitiously replace conflict...Conflict is nothing but the moral state of difference" (110).

000ooo000ooo 1/25

In reading the 11 "emergent rules" of postmodernism and postmodern classicism two of these rules struck me as relevant to a recent art display in Costa Rica. I think this display (while explosively controversial) is a very good example of postmodern art. In the display the artist, Guillermo Vargas, caught a stray dog on the streets of Costa Rica. He then proceeded to bring it into the art museum and chain it to the wall. On the other side of the room from the dog lay a bowl of water. Above the dog, written in dog food, read "You are what you read." Vargas left the dog alone on the leash for a week or so until the dog starved to death.
Many people were outraged by the fact that Vargas had allowed the dog to die, saying he had killed it. However, Vargas was attempting to create an important allegory of the state of our country and the world as a whole. In doing this he was emplowing divergent signification. That is, there were many different ways to read the piece. Some people thought the purpose of the piece was to show suffering. People who read the piece this way were outraged that somebody felt that had to personally create suffering and that it was okay to choose an innocent dog as the victim. Other people saw the piece as allegorical either in its representation of our world or its representation of the human psyche and its prioritizing of following the rules over acting morally. In this reading one finds another of Jencks rules, double coding, which uses "irony, ambiguity, and contradiction" (288).
While there was the literal image of a starving dog in front of museum patrons, there was also the image of the room as a whole. People milling around looking at the dog, yet not helping. There was food on the wall which they could have fed the dog, and water across the room which could have been brought to quench the dog's thirst. Yet, all of these people watched the dog die. They all could have helped and they did not and this questions there morals at least partially as much as Vargas' morals. The irony here is that many of the same people who later called Vargas a murderer also personally neglected to feed the starving dog. Their actions are extremely contradictory. It is also ironic that a dog died in a room full of the very resources it required for survival.
The double code of this piece is that it can also be a metaphor for our world; many people in third-world countries starve to death while being surrounded by nutrients. Much of this is a result of globalization exporting food around the world. In any case, the situation is similar, people dying because others won't give them access to the things they need, regardless of how close these resources are. Vargas' piece (though it probably wasn't worth the dog's life) is an example of a postmodern critique of our society.

Scorpio, 1/22

I found the study of tmesis to be a very interesting topic. As we discussed in class on 1/22, tmesis is the figurative “gap” in meaning between words. It also helps to bring about ideas and understanding of language. One interesting aspect of tmesis is the notion that, individually, it is based from personal experience. Our class exercise looking at the Hemingway poem bit by bit and assuming its meaning in our own contexts was an example of tmesis. I will have to admit as well that tmesis is quite objective to the individual reading the passage. Therefore, tmesis is never accounted for as the reader is in total control of his/her imagination.
This concept reminds me of a developmental idea as well. When I was little, I used to “read” books to my friends. Actually, I was saying I could read, but all I was doing was making a story to fit with the pictures. Where did I gain knowledge to produce the stories? Tmesis! This example shows that children rely on tmesis to make sense of pictures and the way the world works.

WoolyBully7, 1/22

The word tmesis reminds of a part of a movie called “Road Trip.” Towards the end of the movie this one college student needs to learn an entire semesters worth of ancient philosophy in a day long bus ride. His friend on the bus, who helped tutor him ancient philosophy, knew the only way his friend would learn philosophy was if he was able to relate the material to something relevant his life. He related all the different ancient philosophers such as Socrates, Plato and Aristotle to different wrestlers on television. I feel like tmesis is very similar in that the reader or viewer is injecting their ideas, thoughts, perceptions and opinions between the lines of a text.

This is directly related to the quote on page 108, “It is not the most erotic portion of a body where the garment gapes.” A scantily clad woman is more exciting since we fill in what we want in between the lines, in this case behind a few garments. Humans like to fill in what is missing with what they are feeling. It is the parts that we can’t necessarily see outright that entices and excites us. This doesn’t imply that we are changing the meaning of the text, simply just involving what we individually feel is appropriate. I feel as though that aids in the learning process. If tmesis helps you relate information to something relevant, and it helps you remember and learn it than tmesis is a good thing. Everyone has tmesis at one time or another. If you hear a story about your friend’s vacation and you have been to the same place it is practically impossible not to interject and talk about your experience to that place as well. Tmesis is almost natural since we all try to implement our own beliefs and opinions on others.