Post Modernism Flashcards
Note facts about Archigram.
An Avant-Garde architectural group formed in the 1960s
They were committed to a ‘high tech’, light weight, infra-structural approach that was focused towards survival technology.
They experimented with modular technology, mobility through the environment, space capsules and mass-consumer imagery.
There was a new interest in Science (Eg. the moonlandings of 1969)
The first archigram magazine was publishd in 1961.
There attitude is closely tied to ideology of American Buckminster Fuller.
Who was Robert Venturi?
He wrote “Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture” (1966)
This was a manifesto about what was appropriate
Hybrid vs pure, distorted vs straightforward, comprising vs clean, redundant cs excluding etc.
Post modernism becomes a mix of things, re-emergence of history.
He coined the term “less is a bore”
Name a famous building by Robert Venturi.
Vanna Venturi House, Pennsylvania, 1964.
It shows an accumulation of components: Scale, roof pitch, windows, quirky and unexpected - unnecessary, drawing on modern in parts.
He coined the term “less is bore”
What text are Denise Scott Brown and Venturi known for?
“Learning from Vagas” (1972)
This was a study of the cultural realities confronting everyday practice
Pop art, culture and commercialisation - urban artefacts have a certain meaning
The ‘ugly and the ordinary’ become indistinguishable.
Who was Charles Jenks?
He wrote: “The Language of Post Modern Architecture” (1977)
He characterised post modernism as being a populist-pluralist art
Chaos theory linked to science.
What is the importance of the Venice Biennale in 1980?
It was done by Venturi, Scott Brown etc
It was titled “The Presence of the Past”
It announced the emergence of post modernism on a global level.
What is the importance of:
Johnson. AT & T Buiding. NYC. 1984?
It shows a pre-modern language in that it has a stripped down but decorative approach.
It has recurring themese of symbolism and meaning in forms that speak to the general public.
Explain the difference between Johnsons AT & T building and Johnson/Mies’s Seagram Building
The Seagram building is very uniform, it is unknown what each floor represents as they are all the same; while the AT & T building tells more of a story with varying levels of decoration/ornament giving subtle hints into what might be going on inside the building. For example the foyer is large and open
Who was Frank Gehry?
He represents icons, metaphors and symbolism in his architecture.
He uses imagery-marketing
One of his famous works is the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain - represents the end of the literal post modern movement.
