3. Postmodern Architecture: Complexity,
Contradiction, and Globalization
What characterizes postmodern architecture?
• Architects and builders exemplify the affluent nomads of the new
postmodern society. Current technologies are “designed for
movement.” One of the key elements of Frank Gehry’s success was
his ability to ensure that the “organization of the artist” prevailed.
Santiago Calatrava is known for the dynamic curves of his buildings
and bridges.
• One of the newest approaches to contemporary architecture takes into
consideration the compatibility of the building with its environment.
• Discussion Question: How does Las Vegas influence postmodern
architecture?
11. Pluralism and Postmodern Theory
How does postmodern theory reflect pluralist thought?
• Structuralism — The roots of this idea lie in French structuralism,
which argues that meaning occurs not through identification but through
difference.
• Deconstruction and Poststructuralism — the chief practitioner
of deconstruction was the French philosopher Jacques Derrida.
Deconstruction is not synonymous with “destruction,” but rather it
suggests that the “text” be analyzed and taken apart in order to show
what has been left out our overlooked.
• Chaos theory — Chaos theorists posit that biological and
mathematical patterns that appear random, unstable, and disorderly are
actually parts of larger, more “difficult wholes.”
• The Human Genome — Chaos theory is being usefully applied to
genome research: the Human Genome Project was initiated in 1990.
15. Pluralism and Diversity in the Arts
How are pluralism and diversity reflected in art and literature?
• A Plurality of Style in Painting — By the end of the 19602, artist
felt free to engage in a wide spectrum of experimental approaches to
painting. Richter repaints photographs which create paintings of the
graspable and visible. Steir adapted Pollock’s drip technique to her
own ends, allowing paint to flow by force of gravity down the length of
her canvases to form recognizable waterfalls.
• Multiplicity in Postmodern Literature — The pursuit of meaning
lies at the heart of postmodern literature, but because meaning is
always plural and fleeting, attempting to find any permanent meaning in
the postmodern world can only lead to frustration. A working definition
of postmodern fiction might include any form of writing that defeats the
readers’ expectations of coherence. One of the principal strategies of
postmodern poetry is to take advantage of the indeterminacy of certain
words.
16. • A Diversity of Cultures: The Cross-Fertilization of the
Present — American English has become the international language
of business, politics, the media, and culture. Japanese artists have
begun to directly engage the West. The British-born Nigerian painter
Chris Ofili uses his West African culture as a source of inspiration for
his art. Latino culture has become increasingly Americanized, and an
influx of Hispanic immigrants helped Latinize American culture. The
American Indian Movement helped to revitalize Native American
cultures and furthered interest in traditional art forms. The tension
between political reality, cultural identity, and personal identity is
especially evident in the work of Middle Eastern women artists.
• A Multiplicity of Media: New Technologies — Just as the
electronic media have revolutionized modern culture, so too have the
arts been revolutionized by these media, particularly through the
medium of video.
• Discussion Question: Discuss the effect of globalization on the
environment and indigenous cultures.
Frank Gehry and Vlado Milunic. The Rasin Building, also known as the Dancing House or “Ginger and Fred,” Prague, Czech Republic. 1992-96.
Las Vegas, Nevada.
What characterizes postmodern architecture? The 1972 book Learning from Las Vegas argued that the visual complexity of Las Vegas, with its competing sign systems, created a condition of contradiction that was inclusive, not exclusive. How does the new spatial order epitomized by Las Vegas reflect the postmodern condition? How would you describe Robert Venturi’s “difficult whole”? Among the most itinerant artists of our increasingly nomadic postmodern era are its architects. Responding to competitions that will lend individual sites in the “world metropolis” a sense of being unique, they design monuments to national and corporate identity. How have architects responded to environmental concerns in their work? One useful way to define the “postmodern” is to create a list of words—like “uncertainty”—that define it. What other words help you to define the postmodern?
Frank Gehry. Gehry residence, Santa Monica, California. 1977-78.
Frank Gehry. Gehry residence, Santa Monica, California: Axonometric drawing. 1977-78.
Frank Gehry. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain. 1997.
Frank Gehry. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain. 1997.
Santiago Calatrava. Design for Port Authority Trans Hudson (PATH) station, World Trade Center Site, New York. 2004.
Renzo Piano. Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, Nouméa, New Caledonia. 1991-98.
Emilio Ambasz. ACROS Building (Fukuoka Prefecturial International Hall), Fukuoka, Japan. 1989-95.
How does postmodern theory reflect pluralist thought? The roots of postmodern theory rest in the linguistic model of meaning established in French structuralism. How would you describe that linguistic model? How does the poststructuralist thought of Jacques Derrida build on and differ from Saussure’s example? How would you describe deconstruction as a philosophical methodology? Chaos theorists posit that biological and mathematical patterns that appear random, unstable, and disorderly, are actually parts of larger, more “difficult wholes.” How does the fractal geometry of Benoit Mandelbrot counter traditional Euclidean geometry? What is the butterfly effect? How has chaos theory helped us to understand the human body and begin to cure disease?
Herzog & de Meuron. The Bird’s Nest—Beijing National Stadium. 2004–08.
Zhang Hongtu. Bird’s Nest, in the Style of Cubism . 2008. 36" × 48”.
Benoit Mandelbrot. The Mandelbrot set.
How are pluralism and diversity reflected in art and literature? The postmodern sense of inclusiveness authorized a wide variety of experimentation in painting, often mediating between the competing and contradictory demands of realism and abstraction. How do artists like Gerhard Richter and Pat Steir approach this problem? Postmodern literature pursues meaning where meaning is always plural, multiplicitous, and fleeting— frustrating any kind of significant final answer. Multiple, contradictory centers of thought exist simultaneously and independently of one another. In fiction, a novel like Thomas Pynchon’s V . creates a world of uncertainty and ambiguity, similar to Paul Auster’s City of Glass , in which the line between fiction and reality totally collapses. How do poets like David Antin and John Ashbery approach the problem of meaning in their work? The mobility of modern artists has led many to feel they have multiple identities. How do artists like Chris Ofili and Yinka Shonibare mediate between their British training and their Nigerian roots? How does the work of Yasumasa Morimura collapse the boundaries between East and West, male and female? In the United States, the encounters of Hispanic with North American society, especially in California, led to political murals and theater. How does “Spanglish” reflect this encounter? In the late 1960s, the American Indian Movement (AIM) sought to restore power to Native American peoples, the plurality of whose cultures was itself enormous. How do artists like Jimmie Durham and David P. Bradley address the confrontation between native and Anglo cultures? Finally, how do Islamic artists like Shirin Neshat and Shahzia Sikander negotiate the boundaries between Islam and the West? Artists have also used new electronic media in creating new artistic spaces. Artists like Eleanor Antin make installations designed to be viewed for a specific length of time and then be dismantled. Bill Viola creates video installations that take advantage of the medium’s ability to evoke the world of dreams, memories, and reflections, and Viola’s especially immerses the viewer in the flow of time, the cycle of life and death. How do films like Peter Fischli and David Weiss’s The Way Things Go and Superflex’s Flooded McDonald’s address the contemporary historical moment? How do Pipilotti Rist’s videos address popular culture?
Louise Lawler. Pollock and Tureen . 1984. 28" × 39”.
Gerhard Richter. Meadowland . 1992. 35-5/8" × 37-1/2”.
Gerhard Richter. Ice (2) . 1989. 6'8" × 63-7/8”.
Jean-Michel Basquiat. Closer Look: Basquiat's Charles the First. Three panels. 1982. 78" × 62-1/4”.
Pat Steir. Yellow and Blue One-Stroke Waterfall . 1992. 14’ 6-1/4" × 7’ 6-3/4”.
Zhang Huan. To Raise the Water Level in a Fish Pond . Nanmofang Fishpond, Beijing, China. Performance documentation. Detail, middle distance. 1997, August 15. 60" × 90”.
Chris Ofili. The Holy Virgin Mary . 1996. 8' × 6’.
Yinka Shonibare. Victorian Couple . 1999. Left figure: 60" × 36" × 36"; Right figure: 60" × 24" × 24”.
Judith F. Baca. Farmworkers at Guadalupe . One of four murals, Guadalupe, California. 1990. 8' × 7’.
Jimmie Durham. Headlights . 1983.
David P. Bradley (White Earth Ojibwe and Mdewakaton Dakota). Indian Country Today . 1996-97. 70" × 60”.
Shirin Neshat. Rebellious Silence , from the series Women of Allah . 1994.