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 What is the point in trying to be something that is completely outdated?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.
Monday, January 26, 2009
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.
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.
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.
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.
“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.
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