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{{Short description|Postmodern architectural movement since the 1980s}}
{{About|the architectural style or movement known as deconstructivism|the philosophical idea|deconstruction|other uses|deconstruction (disambiguation)}} {{About|the architectural style or movement known as deconstructivism|the philosophical idea|deconstruction|other uses|deconstruction (disambiguation)}}
{{Pp-move}}
]'s ] in ] comprises three apparently intersecting curved volumes.]]
{{More citations needed|date=December 2012}}
{{Full citations needed|date=November 2023}}
{{Infobox art movement
| name = Deconstructivism
| image = Image-Disney Concert Hall by Carol Highsmith edit-2.jpg
| caption = ] by Frank Gehry, ]
| influences = ] <br> ] philosophy
| influenced =
}}
{{Postmodernism}}


'''Deconstructivism''' is a ] movement which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence of obvious harmony, continuity, or symmetry.{{Sfn|Taschen|Taschen|2016|page=148}} Its name is a ] of ] and "]", a form of ] analysis developed by the French philosopher ]. Architects whose work is often described as deconstructivist (though in many cases the architects themselves reject the label) include ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].{{Sfn|Taschen|Taschen|2016|page=148}}
'''Deconstructivism''' in architecture, also called '''deconstruction''', is a development of ] that began in the late 1980s. It is characterized by ideas of fragmentation, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structure's surface or skin, non-] shapes which serve to distort and dislocate some of the ], such as structure and ]. The finished visual appearance of buildings that exhibit the many deconstructivist "styles" is characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos.


The term does not inherently refer to the style's ''deconstructed'' visuals as the English adjective suggests, but instead derives from the movement's foundations in contrast to the Russian ] movement during the ] that "broke the rules" of classical architecture through the French language.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2018-08-12|title=What is Deconstructivism?|url=https://www.archdaily.com/899645/what-is-deconstructivism|access-date=2020-07-19|website=ArchDaily|language=en-US}}</ref>
Important events in the history of the deconstructivist movement include the 1982 ] ] (especially the entry from ] and ]<ref>Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman, ''Chora L Works'' (New York: Monacelli Press, 1997)</ref> and ]'s winning entry), the ]’s 1988 ''Deconstructivist Architecture'' exhibition in New York, organized by ] and ], and the 1989 opening of the ] in ], designed by Peter Eisenman. The New York exhibition featured works by ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Since the exhibition, many of the architects who were associated with Deconstructivism have distanced themselves from the term. Nonetheless, the term has stuck and has now, in fact, come to embrace a general trend within contemporary architecture.


Besides fragmentation, deconstructivism often manipulates the structure's surface skin and deploys non-] shapes which appear to distort and dislocate ]. The finished visual appearance is characterized by unpredictability and controlled chaos.
Originally, some of the architects known as Deconstructivists were influenced by the ideas of the French philosopher ]. Eisenman developed a personal relationship with Derrida, but even so his approach to architectural design was developed long before he became a Deconstructivist. For him Deconstructivism should be considered an extension of his interest in radical formalism. Some practitioners of deconstructivism were also influenced by the formal experimentation and geometric imbalances of Russian ]. There are additional references in deconstructivism to 20th-century movements: the ]/] interplay, ], ], ] and ]. The attempt in deconstructivism throughout is to move architecture away from what its practitioners see as the constricting 'rules' of modernism such as "]," "]," and "]."


==History, context and influences== ==History, context and influences==

Deconstructivism came to public notice with the 1982 ] ], in particular the entry from ] and ]<ref>Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman, ''Chora L Works'' (New York: Monacelli Press, 1997)</ref> and the winning entry by ], as well as the ]’s 1988 ''Deconstructivist Architecture'' exhibition in New York, organized by ] and ]. Tschumi stated that calling the work of these architects a "movement" or a new "style" was out of context and showed a lack of understanding of their ideas, and believed that Deconstructivism was simply a move against the practice of ], which he said involved "making Doric temple forms out of plywood".<ref></ref>

Other influential exhibitions include the 1989 opening of the ] in ], designed by Peter Eisenman. The New York exhibition has featured works by ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Since their exhibitions, some architects associated with Deconstructivism have distanced themselves from it; nonetheless, the term has stuck and has come to embrace a general trend within ].

]'' typewriter (1969) by ]]]
] in Vienna, built in 1976 is an early example of deconstructivism in the history of architecture.<ref>Wotruba sixpackfilm Vienna, Austria 2014 https://www.sixpackfilm.com/de/catalogue/2118/</ref>]]
Early antecedents of the architectural movement could be found in ], notably in ]' design for the 1969 ] typewriter, a non-conformist design that deconstructed what was typically the typewriter's bodywork, revealing elements normally concealed, using 'floating keys' and a body-colored plastic 'rail' ahead of the spacebar, visually detached from the typewriter's main body.

===Modernism and postmodernism=== ===Modernism and postmodernism===
] by ] and ]]] ] by ] and ]]]
Deconstructivism in ] stands in opposition to the ordered rationality of ]. Its relationship with ] is also decidedly contrary. Though postmodernist and nascent deconstructivist architects published theories alongside each other in the journal '']'' (published 1973–84), that journal's contents mark the beginning of a decisive break between the two movements. Deconstruction took a confrontational stance toward much of architecture and ], wanting to disjoin and disassemble architecture.<ref>Tschumi, ''Architecture and Disjunction''</ref> While postmodernism returned to embrace&mdash; often slyly or ironically&mdash;the historical references that modernism had shunned, deconstructivism rejects the postmodern acceptance of such references. It also rejects the idea of ornament as an after-thought or decoration. <!---These principles have meant that deconstructivism aligns itself somewhat with the sensibilities of modernist anti-historicism.{{who}}--->


The term ''Deconstructivism'' in contemporary architecture is opposed to the ordered rationality of ] and ]. Though postmodernist and nascent deconstructivist architects both published in the journal '']'' (published between 1973 and 1984), that journal's contents mark a decisive break between the two movements. Deconstructivism took a confrontational stance to ], wanting to "disassemble" architecture.<ref>Tschumi, ''Architecture and Disjunction''</ref> While postmodernism returned to embrace the historical references that modernism had shunned, possibly ironically, deconstructivism rejected the postmodern acceptance of such references, as well as the idea of ornament as an after-thought or decoration.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
In addition to ''Oppositions'', another text that separated deconstructivism from the fray of modernism and postmodernism was the publication of ]'s ''Complexity and Contradiction in architecture'' (1966). A defining point for both postmodernism and for deconstructivism, ''Complexity and Contradiction'' argues against the purity, clarity and simplicity of modernism. With its publication, ] and ], the two main branches of modernism, were overturned as paradigms according to postmodernist and deconstructivist readings, with differing readings. The postmodern reading of Venturi (who was himself a postmodernist) was that ornament and historical allusion added a richness to architecture that modernism had foregone. Some Postmodern architects endeavored to reapply ornaments even to economical and minimal buildings, an effort best illustrated by Venturi's concept of "the decorated shed." Rationalism of design was dismissed but the functionalism of the building was still somewhat intact. This is close to the thesis of Venturi's next major work,<ref>Venturi, ''Learning From Las Vegas''</ref> that ] and ornament can be applied to a pragmatic architecture, and instill the philosophic complexities of ].


In addition to ''Oppositions'', a defining text for both deconstructivism and postmodernism was ]'s ''Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture'' (1966). It argues against the purity, clarity and simplicity of modernism. With its publication, ] and ], the two main branches of modernism, were overturned as paradigms. The reading of the postmodernist Venturi was that ornament and historical allusion added a richness to architecture that modernism had foregone. Some Postmodern architects endeavored to reapply ornament even to economical and minimal buildings, described by Venturi as "the decorated shed". Rationalism of design was dismissed but the functionalism of the building was still somewhat intact. This is close to the thesis of Venturi's next major work,<ref>Venturi (1977), ''Learning From Las Vegas''</ref> that ] and ornament can be applied to a pragmatic architecture, and instill the philosophic complexities of ].{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
] by Frank Gehry, ]]]

The deconstructivist reading of ''Complexity and Contradiction'' is quite different. The basic building was the subject of problematics and intricacies in deconstructivism, with no detachment for ornament. Rather than separating ornament and function, like postmodernists such as Venturi, the functional aspects of buildings were called into question. Geometry was to deconstructivists what ornament was to postmodernists, the subject of complication, and this complication of geometry was in turn, applied to the functional, structural, and spatial aspects of deconstructivist buildings. One example of deconstructivist complexity is ]'s Vitra Design Museum in Weil-am-Rhein, which takes the typical unadorned white cube of modernist ] and deconstructs it, using geometries reminiscent of cubism and abstract expressionism. This subverts the functional aspects of modernist simplicity while taking modernism, particularly the international style, of which its white stucco skin is reminiscent, as a starting point. Another example of the deconstructivist reading of ''Complexity and Contradiction'' is ]'s ]. The Wexner Center takes the archetypal form of the ], which it then imbues with complexity in a series of cuts and fragmentations. A three-dimensional grid, runs somewhat arbitrarily through the building. The grid, as a reference to modernism, of which it is an accoutrement, collides with the medieval antiquity of a castle. Some of the grid's columns intentionally don't reach the ground, hovering over stairways creating a sense of neurotic unease and contradicting the structural purpose of the ]. The Wexner Center deconstructs the archetype of the castle and renders its spaces and structure with conflict and difference.
The deconstructivist reading of ''Complexity and Contradiction'' is quite different. The basic building was the subject of problematics and intricacies in deconstructivism, with no detachment for ornament. Rather than separating ornament and function, like postmodernists such as Venturi, the functional aspects of buildings were called into question. Geometry was to deconstructivists what ornament was to postmodernists, the subject of complication, and this complication of geometry was in turn, applied to the functional, structural, and spatial aspects of deconstructivist buildings. One example of deconstructivist complexity is ]'s ] in Weil-am-Rhein, which takes the typical unadorned white cube of modernist ] and deconstructs it, using geometries reminiscent of cubism and abstract expressionism. This subverts the functional aspects of modernist simplicity while taking modernism, particularly the international style, of which its white stucco skin is reminiscent, as a starting point. Another example of the deconstructivist reading of ''Complexity and Contradiction'' is ]'s ]. The Wexner Center takes the archetypal form of the ], which it then imbues with complexity in a series of cuts and fragmentations. A three-dimensional grid runs somewhat arbitrarily through the building. The grid, as a reference to modernism, of which it is an accoutrement, collides with the medieval antiquity of a castle. Some of the grid's columns intentionally do not reach the ground, hovering over stairways creating a sense of neurotic unease and contradicting the structural purpose of the ]. The Wexner Center deconstructs the archetype of the castle and renders its spaces and structure with conflict and difference.{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}


===Deconstructivist philosophy=== ===Deconstructivist philosophy===
Some Deconstructivist architects were influenced by the French philosopher ]. Eisenman was a friend of Derrida, but even so his approach to architectural design was developed long before he became a Deconstructivist. For him Deconstructivism should be considered an extension of his interest in radical formalism. Some practitioners of deconstructivism were also influenced by the formal experimentation and geometric imbalances of Russian ]. There are additional references in deconstructivism to 20th-century movements: the ]/] interplay, ], ], ] and ]. Deconstructivism attempts to move away from the supposedly constricting 'rules' of modernism such as "]", "]", and "]".{{citation needed|date=December 2012}}
The main channel from deconstructivist philosophy to ] was through the philosopher ]'s influence with ]. Eisenman drew some philosophical bases from the literary movement ], and collaborated directly with Derrida on projects including an entry for the ] competition, documented in ''Chora l Works''. Both Derrida and Eisenman, as well as ]<ref>Libeskind, Daniel. quote ''"This project develops the realm of the in between, the inter-est.... Pointing to that which is absent"''. Retrieved April, 2006</ref> were concerned with the "]," and this is the main subject of deconstructivist philosophy in architecture theory. The presupposition is that architecture is a language capable of communicating meaning and of receiving treatments by methods of linguistic philosophy.<ref name="Curl">

{{cite book
]'s ] in ], ] (2002). An archetype of deconstructivist architecture, it comprises three fragmented, intersecting curved volumes, symbolizing the destruction of war.]]
| last = Curl| first = James Stevens

| authorlink =| coauthors =| editor =| others =
The main channel from deconstructivist philosophy to ] was through the philosopher ]'s influence with ]. Eisenman drew some philosophical bases from the literary movement ], and collaborated directly with Derrida on projects including an entry for the ] competition, documented in ''Chora l Works''. Both Derrida and Eisenman, as well as ]<ref>Libeskind, Daniel. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021194414/http://www.daniel-libeskind.com/projects/show-all/imperial-war-museum-north/ |date=2007-10-21 }} quote "This project develops the realm of the in between, the inter-est.... Pointing to that which is absent". Retrieved April, 2006</ref> were concerned with the "]", and this is the main subject of deconstructivist philosophy in architecture theory. The presupposition is that architecture is a language capable of communicating meaning and of receiving treatments by methods of linguistic philosophy.<ref name="Curl">{{cite book|last=Curl|first=James Stevens|title=A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture|url=https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofarch00curl_0|url-access=registration|year=2006|type=Paperback|edition=Second|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=0-19-860678-8}}</ref> The dialectic of presence and absence, or solid and void occurs in much of Eisenman's projects, both built and unbuilt. Both Derrida and Eisenman believe that the locus, or place of presence, is architecture, and the same dialectic of presence and absence is found in construction and deconstructivism.<ref>Eisenman and Derrida, ''Choral Works''</ref>
| title = A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture
| origdate = 2006| origyear =| origmonth =| url =
| format = Paperback| accessdate =| edition = Second
| date =| year =| month =| publisher = Oxford University Press
| location =| isbn = 0198606788| doi =| chapter =| chapterurl =| quote =| page = 880 pages
}}</ref> The dialectic of presence and absence, or solid and void occurs in much of Eisenman's projects, both built and unbuilt. Both Derrida and Eisenman believe that the locus, or place of presence, is architecture, and the same dialectic of presence and absence is found in construction and deconstruction.<ref>Eisenman and Derrida, ''Chora l Works''</ref>


According to Derrida, readings of texts are best carried out when working with classical narrative structures. Any architectural ''de''construction requires the existence of a particular archetypal ''con''struction, a strongly-established conventional expectation to play flexibly against.<ref>Derrida, ''Of Grammatology''</ref> The design of ]’s own ] residence, (from 1978), has been cited as a prototypical deconstructivist building. His starting point was a prototypical suburban house embodied with a typical set of intended social meanings. Gehry altered its massing, spatial envelopes, planes and other expectations in a playful subversion, an act of "de"construction"<ref>Holloway, Robert (1994). Dissertation Exploring the work of Gordon Matta-Clark. Retrieved April, 2006.</ref> According to Derrida, readings of texts are best carried out when working with classical narrative structures. Any architectural deconstructivism requires the existence of a particular archetypal ''con''struction, a strongly-established conventional expectation to play flexibly against.<ref>Derrida, ''Of Grammatology''</ref> The design of ]’s own ] residence, (from 1978), has been cited as a prototypical deconstructivist building. His starting point was a prototypical suburban house embodied with a typical set of intended social meanings. Gehry altered its massing, spatial envelopes, planes and other expectations in a playful subversion, an act of "de"construction"<ref>Holloway, Robert (1994). {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070517013252/http://www.mindyourownweb.co.uk/hosted/index.php?view=mattaclarking&pageid=85&PHPSESSID=c5e9dc8f3f4a6cfd3bc3216856fe17d8 |date=2007-05-17 }} Dissertation Exploring the work of Gordon Matta-Clark. Retrieved April, 2006.</ref>


In addition to Derrida's concepts of the metaphysics of presence and deconstruction, his notions of trace and erasure, embodied in his philosophy of writing and arche-writing<ref>Derrida, ''Of Grammatology'' (1967)</ref> found their way into deconstructivist ]s. Daniel Libeskind envisioned many of his early projects as a form of writing or discourse on writing and often works with a form of ]. He made architectural sculptures out of books and often coated the models in texts, openly making his architecture refer to writing. The notions of trace and erasure were taken up by Libeskind in essays and in his project for the ]. The museum is conceived as a trace of the erasure of the ], intended to make its subject legible and poignant. Memorials such as ]'s ] and Peter Eisenman's ] also reflect themes of trace and erasure. In addition to Derrida's concepts of the metaphysics of presence and deconstructivism, his notions of trace and erasure, embodied in his philosophy of writing and arche-writing<ref>Derrida, ''Of Grammatology'' (1967)</ref> found their way into deconstructivist ]s. Daniel Libeskind envisioned many of his early projects as a form of writing or discourse on writing and often works with a form of ]. He made architectural sculptures out of books and often coated the models in texts, openly making his architecture refer to writing. The notions of trace and erasure were taken up by Libeskind in essays and in his project for the ]. The museum is conceived as a trace of the erasure of the ], intended to make its subject legible and poignant. Memorials such as ]'s ] and Peter Eisenman's ] are also said to reflect themes of trace and erasure.


===Constructivism and Russian Futurism=== ===Constructivism and Russian Futurism===
Another major current in deconstructivist architecture takes inspiration from the Russian ] and ] movements of the early twentieth century, both in their graphics and in their visionary architecture, little of which was actually constructed. Another major current in deconstructivist architecture takes inspiration from the ] and ] movements of the early twentieth century, both in their graphics and in their visionary architecture, little of which was actually constructed.


Artists ], ], ], and ], have influenced the graphic sense of geometric forms of deconstructivist architects such as ] and ]. Both Deconstructivism and Constructivism have been concerned with the tectonics of making an abstract assemblage. Both were concerned with the radical simplicity of geometric forms as the primary artistic content, expressed in graphics, sculpture and architecture. The Constructivist tendency toward ], though, is absent in Deconstructivism: form is often deformed when construction is deconstructed. Also lessened or absent is the advocacy of ] and ] causes. Artists ], ], ], and ], have influenced the graphic sense of geometric forms of deconstructivist architects such as ] and ]. Both Deconstructivism and Constructivism have been concerned with the tectonics of making an abstract assemblage. Both were concerned with the radical simplicity of geometric forms as the primary artistic content, expressed in graphics, sculpture and architecture. The Constructivist tendency toward ], though, is absent in Deconstructivism: form is often deformed when construction is deconstructed. Also lessened or absent is the advocacy of ] and ] causes.


The primary graphic motifs of constructivism were the rectangular bar and the triangular wedge, others were the more basic geometries of the square and the circle. In his series ''Prouns'', El Lizzitzky assembled collections of geometries at various angles floating free in space. They evoke basic structural units such as bars of steel or sawn lumber loosely attached, piled, or scattered. They were also often ] and share aspects with ] and ]. Similar in composition is the deconstructivist series ''Micromegas'' by Daniel Libeskind. The primary graphic motifs of constructivism were the rectangular bar and the triangular wedge, others were the more basic geometries of the square and the circle. In his series ''Prouns'', El Lizzitzky assembled collections of geometries at various angles floating free in space. They evoke basic structural units such as bars of steel or sawn lumber loosely attached, piled, or scattered. They were also often ] and share aspects with ] and ]. Similar in composition is the deconstructivist series ''Micromegas'' by Daniel Libeskind.


{{Quotation|The symbolic breakdown of the wall effected by introducing the Constructivist motifs of tilted and crossed bars sets up a subversion of the walls that define the bar itself. ...This apparent chaos actually constructs the walls that define the bar; it is the structure. The internal disorder produces the bar while splitting it even as gashes open up along its length.|Phillip Johnson and Mark Wigley|Deconstructive Architecture, ''p.34}} {{Blockquote|text=The symbolic breakdown of the wall effected by introducing the Constructivist motifs of tilted and crossed bars sets up a subversion of the walls that define the bar itself. ... This apparent chaos actually constructs the walls that define the bar; it is the structure. The internal disorder produces the bar while splitting it even as gashes open up along its length.|author=Phillip Johnson and Mark Wigley|source=''Deconstructive Architecture'', p. 34}}


===Contemporary art=== ===Contemporary art===
] in ] with rippling stainless steel on three of its elevations including the east elevation facing ] but a more typical flat surface on its south elevation facing ] and the ]<ref>{{cite web|last=Larsen|first=Keith|date=November 1, 2020|title=Occupancy at The New York by Gehry falls by more than 20%|url=https://therealdeal.com/2020/12/01/bad-year-1-in-5-units-at-gehry-skyscraper-goes-vacant/|access-date=February 25, 2024|website=The Real Deal New York|quote=Frank Gehry designed the rippling stainless steel tower at 8 Spruce Street, which architecture critics marveled at for its unique “deconstructivism style.”}}</ref>]]
Two strains of modern art, ] and ], have had an influence on deconstructivism. ] had a sure effect on deconstructivism, as forms and content are dissected and viewed from different perspectives simultaneously. A synchronicity of disjoined space is evident in many of the works of ] and ]. ], with its application of ], is not as great an influence on deconstructivism as ], but is still found in the earlier and more vernacular works of Frank Gehry. Deconstructivism also shares with minimalism a disconnection from cultural references. <!---It also often shares with minimalism, notions of ].{{clarifyme}} --->
Two strains of modern art, ] and ], have had an influence on deconstructivism. ] had a sure effect on deconstructivism, as forms and content are dissected and viewed from different perspectives simultaneously. A synchronicity of disjoined space is evident in many of the works of ] and ]. ], with its application of ] art, is not as great an influence on deconstructivism as ], but is still found in the earlier and more vernacular works of Frank Gehry. Deconstructivism also shares with minimalism a disconnection from cultural references. <!---It also often shares with minimalism, notions of ].{{Clarify|date=May 2012}} --->


] by ]]]
With its tendency toward deformation and dislocation, there is also an aspect of ] and ] associated with deconstructivism. At times deconstructivism mirrors varieties of expressionism, ], and ] as well. The angular forms of the Ufa Cinema Center by Coop Himmelb(l)au recall the abstract geometries of the numbered paintings of ], in their unadorned masses. The UFA Cinema Center also would make a likely setting for the angular figures depicted in urban German street scenes by ]. The work of ] also bears similarities to deconstructivist architecture. His movement into abstract expressionism and away from figurative work,<ref>Kandinsky, "Point and Line to Plane"</ref> is in the same spirit as the deconstructivist rejection of ornament for geometries. With its tendency toward deformation and dislocation, there is also an aspect of ] and ] associated with deconstructivism. At times deconstructivism mirrors varieties of expressionism, ], and ] as well. The angular forms of the Ufa Cinema Center by Coop Himmelb(l)au recall the abstract geometries of the numbered paintings of ], in their unadorned masses. The UFA Cinema Center also would make a likely setting for the angular figures depicted in urban German street scenes by ]. The work of ] also bears similarities to deconstructivist architecture. His movement into abstract expressionism and away from figurative work,<ref>Kandinsky, "Point and Line to Plane"</ref> is in the same spirit as the deconstructivist rejection of ornament for geometries.


Several artists in the 1980s and 1990s contributed work that influenced or took part in deconstructivism. ] and ] are two examples. Lin's 1982 project for the ], with its granite slabs severing the ground plane, is one. Its shard-like form and reduction of content to a minimalist text influenced deconstructivism, with its sense of fragmentation and emphasis on reading the monument. Lin also contributed work for Eisenman's Wexner Center. Rachel Whiteread's cast architectural spaces are another instance where ] is confluent with architecture. ''Ghost'' (1990), an entire living space cast in plaster, solidifying the void, alludes to Derrida's notion of architectural presence. ]'s ''Building cuts'' were deconstructed sections of buildings exhibited in art galleries. Several artists in the 1980s and 1990s contributed work that influenced or took part in deconstructivism. ] and ] are two examples. Lin's 1982 project for the ], with its granite slabs severing the ground plane, is one. Its shard-like form and reduction of content to a minimalist text influenced deconstructivism, with its sense of fragmentation and emphasis on reading the monument. Lin also contributed work for Eisenman's Wexner Center. Rachel Whiteread's cast architectural spaces are another instance where ] is confluent with architecture. ''Ghost'' (1990), an entire living space cast in plaster, solidifying the void, alludes to Derrida's notion of architectural presence. ]'s ''Building cuts'' were deconstructed sections of buildings exhibited in art galleries.


===1988 MOMA exhibition=== ===1988 MoMA exhibition===
] and ] curated the 1988 ] exhibition ''Deconstructivist architecture'', which crystallized the movement, and brought fame and notoriety to its key practitioners. The architects presented at the exhibition were ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Mark Wigley wrote the accompanying essay and tried to show a common thread among the various architects whose work was usually more noted for their differences. ] and ] curated the 1988 ] exhibition ''Deconstructivist architecture'', which crystallized the movement, and brought fame and notoriety to its key practitioners. The architects presented at the exhibition were ], ], ], ], ], ], and ]. Mark Wigley wrote the accompanying essay and tried to show a common thread among the various architects whose work was usually more noted for their differences.


{{Quotation|The projects in this exhibition mark a different sensibility, one in which the dream of pure form has been disturbed. {{Blockquote|text=The projects in this exhibition mark a different sensibility, one in which the dream of pure form has been disturbed.


It is the ability to disturb our thinking about form that makes these projects deconstructive. It is the ability to disturb our thinking about form that makes these projects deconstructive.


The show examines an episode, a point of intersection between several architects where each constructs an unsettling building by exploiting the hidden potential of modernism. The show examines an episode, a point of intersection between several architects where each constructs an unsettling building by exploiting the hidden potential of modernism.
|Phillip Johnson and Mark Wigley|Excerpts from Deconstructivist Architecture}} |author=Phillip Johnson and Mark Wigley|source=excerpt from the MoMA ''Deconstructivist Architecture'' catalog}}


===Computer-aided design=== ===Computer-aided design===
] is now an essential tool in most aspects of contemporary architecture, but the particular nature of deconstructivism makes the use of computers especially pertinent. Three-dimensional modelling and animation (virtual and physical) assists in the conception of very complicated spaces, while the ability to link computer models to manufacturing jigs (CAM—]) allows the mass production of subtly different modular elements to be achieved at affordable costs. Also, Gehry is noted for producing many physical models as well as computer models as part of his design process. Though the computer has made the designing of complex shapes much easier, not everything that looks odd is "deconstructivist".
] by ], in ], Spain.]]

] is now an essential tool in most aspects of contemporary architecture, but the particular nature of deconstrucivism makes the use of computers especially pertinent. Three-dimensional modelling and animation (virtual and physical) assists in the conception of very complicated spaces, while the ability to link computer models to manufacturing jigs (CAM - ]) allows the mass production of subtly different modular elements to be achieved at affordable costs. In retrospect many early deconstructivist works appear to have been conceived with the aid of a computer, but were not; ]'s sketches for instance. Also, Gehry is noted for producing many physical models as well as computer models as part of his design process. Though the computer has made the designing of complex shapes much easier, not everything that looks odd is "deconstructivist."
==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:JewishMuseumBerlin.jpg|], ]
File:Bodenlos.jpg|Alpine Deconstructivism in ], ], by ] & ]
File:Steinhaus Steindorf.jpg|Günter Domenig' s "Steinhaus" at ], ]
File:Vitra002a.jpg|] by ], ], ]
File:Prag ginger u fred gehry.jpg|] by ] and ], ], ]
File:Capital-city-towers-moscow-indexxrus.JPG|] in ], ]
File:Dresden-Kristallpalast-nigh.jpg|UFA-Palast in ], ], Germany, by ]
File:Image-Disney Concert Hall by Carol Highsmith edit-2.jpg|] by ], ]
File:Guggenheim Bilbao may-2006.jpg|The ] by ], in ], ]
File:Estación Paseo de Gracia (1991-2014) Daniel Navas, Neus Solé. Arquitectos -3.jpg|Paseo de Gracia Station, ] (1991) by Daniel Navas, Neus Solé. Arch.
File:Gymnázium v Orlové.jpg|The Gymnasium by Josef Kiszka and Barbara Potysz, in ], ]
File:Barcelona 2010 August 005 Hotel.JPG|] (left) in ], Spain, by ]
File:McCormick Tribune 060304.jpg| The ] at ]'s ] by ], completed 2003
File:Puente de la mujer, Buenos Aires (32008).jpg|], ] by ]
File:Synagogue Mainz Exterior1.jpg|] in ] by ]
</gallery>


==Critical responses== ==Critical responses==
Since the publication of ]'s ''Modern Architecture: A Critical History'' (first edition 1980) there has been a keen consciousness of the role of criticism within architectural theory. Whilst referencing Derrida as a philosophical influence, deconstructivism can also be seen as having as much a basis in ] as the other major offshoot of postmodernism, ]. The two aspects of critical theory, urgency and analysis, are found in deconstructivism. There is a tendency to re-examine and critique other works or precedents in deconstructivism, and also a tendency to set aesthetic issues in the foreground. An example of this is the ]. ], however, had at its core a critique of capitalism and its excess, and from that respect many of the works of the Deconstructivists would fail in that regard if only they are made for an elite and are, as objects, highly expensive, despite whatever critique they may claim to impart on the conventions of design.
] by Peter Eisenman]]
Since the publication of ]'s ''Modern Architecture: A Critical History'' (first edition 1980) there has been a keen consciousness of the role of criticism within architectural theory. Whilst referencing Derrida as a philosophical influence, deconstructivism can also be seen as having as much a basis in ] as the other major offshoot of postmodernism, ]. The two aspects of critical theory, urgency and analysis, are found in deconstructivism. There is a tendency to re-examine and critique other works or precedents in deconstructivism, and also a tendency to set esthetic issues in the foreground. An example of this is the ]. ], however, had at its core a critique of capitalism and its excess, and from that respect many of the works of the Deconstructivists would fail in that regard if only they are made for an elite and are, as objects, highly expensive, despite whatever critique they may claim to impart on the conventions of design.


The difference between criticality in deconstructivism and criticality in critical regionalism, is that critical regionalism ''reduces'' the overall level of complexity involved and maintains a clearer analysis while attempting to reconcile modernist architecture with local differences. In effect, this leads to a modernist "vernacular." Critical regionalism displays a lack of self-criticism and a ]nism of place. Deconstructivism, meanwhile, maintains a level of self-criticism, as well as external criticism and tends towards maintaining a level of complexity. Some architects identified with the movement, notably ], have actively rejected the classification of their work as deconstructivist.<ref>Said Frank Gehry of Eisenman's ], "The best thing about Peter's buildings is the insane spaces he ends up with.... All that other stuff, the philosophy and all, is just bullshit as far as I'm concerned." Quoted in Peter Eisenman, ''Peter Eisenman: 1990-1997'', ed. Richard C. Levene and Fernando Márquez Cecilia (Madrid: El Croquis Editorial, 1997), 46.</ref> The difference between criticality in deconstructivism and criticality in critical regionalism is that critical regionalism ''reduces'' the overall level of complexity involved and maintains a clearer analysis while attempting to reconcile modernist architecture with local differences. In effect, this leads to a modernist "vernacular". Critical regionalism displays a lack of ] and a ]nism of place. Deconstructivism, meanwhile, maintains a level of self-criticism and a ]nism of place, as well as external criticism and tends towards maintaining a level of complexity. Some architects identified with the movement, notably ], have actively rejected the classification of their work as deconstructivist.<ref>Said Frank Gehry of Eisenman's ], "The best thing about Peter's buildings is the insane spaces he ends up with.... All that other stuff, the philosophy and all, is just bullshit as far as I'm concerned." Quoted in Peter Eisenman, ''Peter Eisenman: 1990-1997'', ed. Richard C. Levene and Fernando Márquez Cecilia (Madrid: El Croquis Editorial, 1997), 46.</ref>


Critics of deconstructivism see it as a purely formal exercise with little social significance. ] finds it "elitist and detached."<ref>Frampton, Kenneth. ''Modern Architecture: A Critical History''. Thames & Hudson, 3rd edition, 1992, p. 313</ref> ] calls deconstruction a "viral expression" that invades design thinking in order to build destroyed forms; while curiously similar to both Derrida's and Philip Johnson's descriptions, this is meant as a harsh condemnation of the entire movement.<ref>Salingaros, Nikos. "Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction", Umbau-Verlag, 3rd edition, 2008</ref> Other criticisms are similar to those of deconstructivist philosophy&mdash;that since the act of deconstruction is not an empirical process, it can result in whatever an architect wishes, and it thus suffers from a lack of consistency. Today there is a sense that the philosophical underpinnings of the beginning of the movement have been lost, and all that is left is the aesthetic of deconstruction.<ref>. Arizona State University, retrieved June 2006. ''Today, in the mid 90's the term 'deconstruction' is used casually to label any work that favours complexity over simplicity and dramatises the formal possibilities of digital production.''</ref> Other criticisms reject the premise that architecture is a language capable of being the subject of linguistic philosophy, or, if it was a language in the past, critics claim it is no longer.<ref name="Curl"/> Others question the wisdom and impact on future generations of an architecture that rejects the past and presents no clear values as replacements and which often pursues strategies that are intentionally aggressive to human senses.<ref name="Curl"/> Critics of deconstructivism see it as a purely formal exercise with little social significance. ] finds it "elitist and detached".<ref>Frampton, Kenneth. ''Modern Architecture: A Critical History''. Thames & Hudson, 3rd edition, 1992, p. 313</ref> ] calls deconstructivism a "viral expression" that invades design thinking in order to build destroyed forms; while curiously similar to both Derrida's and Philip Johnson's descriptions, this is meant as a harsh condemnation of the entire movement.<ref>Salingaros, Nikos. "Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction", Umbau-Verlag, 3rd edition, 2008</ref> Other criticisms are similar to those of deconstructivist philosophy—that since the act of deconstructivism is not an empirical process, it can result in whatever an architect wishes, and it thus suffers from a lack of consistency. Today there is a sense that the philosophical underpinnings of the beginning of the movement have been lost, and all that is left is the aesthetic of deconstructivism.<ref>Chakraborty, Judhajit; Deconstruction: From Philosophy to Design. Arizona State University, retrieved June 2006. "Today, in the mid 90s the term 'deconstructivism' is used casually to label any work that favours complexity over simplicity and dramatises the formal possibilities of digital production."</ref> Other criticisms reject the premise that architecture is a language capable of being the subject of linguistic philosophy, or, if it was a language in the past, critics claim it is no longer.<ref name="Curl"/> Others question the wisdom and impact on future generations of an architecture that rejects the past and presents no clear values as replacements and which often pursues strategies that are intentionally aggressive to human senses.<ref name="Curl"/>


==See also== ==See also==
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==Notes== == Citations ==
{{Postmodernism}}

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{{Reflist}} {{Reflist}}


== General and cited references==
==References==
{{Refbegin}}
<div class="references-small">
* {{Cite book |last=Bony |first=Anne |title=L'Architecture Moderne |language=French |publisher=Larousse |year=2012 |isbn=978-2-03-587641-6}}
* Derrida, Jacques (1976). ''Of Grammatology'', (hardcover: ISBN 0-8018-1841-9, paperback: ISBN 0-8018-1879-6, corrected edition: ISBN 0-8018-5830-5) trans. ]. Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Derrida, Jacques (1967). ''Of Grammatology'', (hardcover: {{ISBN|0-8018-1841-9}}, paperback: {{ISBN|0-8018-1879-6}}, corrected edition: {{ISBN|0-8018-5830-5}}) trans. ]. Johns Hopkins University Press.
* Derrida, Jacques & Eisenman, Peter (1997). ''Chora l Works''. Monacelli Press. ISBN 1-885254-40-7.
* Derrida, Jacques & Husserl, Edmund (1989). ''Edmund Husserl's Origin of Geometry: An Introduction''. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-6580-8 * Derrida, Jacques & Eisenman, Peter (1997). ''Chora l Works''. Monacelli Press. {{ISBN|1-885254-40-7}}.
* Derrida, Jacques & Husserl, Edmund (1989). ''Edmund Husserl's Origin of Geometry: An Introduction''. University of Nebraska Press. {{ISBN|0-8032-6580-8}}
* Frampton, Kenneth (1992). ''Modern Architecture, a critical history''. Thames & Hudson- Third Edition. ISBN 0-500-20257-5
* Johnson, Phillip & Wigley, Mark (1988). ''Deconstructivist Architecture: The Museum of Modern Art, New York''. Little Brown and Company. ISBN 0-87070-298-X * Frampton, Kenneth (1992). ''Modern Architecture, a critical history''. Thames & Hudson- Third Edition. {{ISBN|0-500-20257-5}}
* Johnson, Phillip & Wigley, Mark (1988). ''Deconstructivist Architecture: The Museum of Modern Art, New York''. Little Brown and Company. {{ISBN|0-87070-298-X}}
* Hays, K.M. (edited) (1998). ''Oppositions Reader''. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 1-56898-153-8
* Hays, K.M. (ed.) (1998). ''Oppositions Reader''. Princeton Architectural Press. {{ISBN|1-56898-153-8}}
* Kandinsky, Wassily. ''Point and Line to Plane''. Dover Publications, New York. ISBN 0-486-23808-3
* Rickey, George (1995). ''Constructivism: Origins and Evolution''. George Braziller; Revised edition. ISBN 0-8076-1381-9 * Kandinsky, Wassily. ''Point and Line to Plane''. Dover Publications, New York. {{ISBN|0-486-23808-3}}
* McLeod, Mary, "Architecture and Politics in the Reagan Era: From Postmodernism to Deconstructivism," "Assemblage," 8 (1989), pp.&nbsp;23–59.
* Salingaros, Nikos (2008). "Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction", 3rd edition. Umbau-Verlag, Solingen, Germany. ISBN13 9783937954-097
* {{Cite book |last=Poisson |first=Michel |title=1000 Immeubles et monuments de Paris |year=2009 |publisher=Parigramme |isbn=978-2-84096-539-8 |language=French}}
* Tschumi, Bernard (1994). ''Architecture and Disjunction''. The MIT Press. Cambridge. ISBN 0-262-20094-5
* Rickey, George (1995). ''Constructivism: Origins and Evolution''. George Braziller; Revised edition. {{ISBN|0-8076-1381-9}}
* Van der Straeten, Bart. Retrieved April, 2006.
* Salingaros, Nikos (2008). "Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction", 3rd edition. Umbau-Verlag, Solingen, Germany. {{ISBN|978-3-937954-09-7}}
* Venturi, Robert (1966). ''Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture'', The Museum of Modern Art Press, New York. ISBN 0-87070-282-3
* {{Cite book |last1=Taschen |first1=Aurelia |last2=Taschen |first2=Balthazar |title=L'Architecture Moderne de A à Z |year=2016 |publisher=Bibliotheca Universalis |language=French |isbn=978-3-8365-5630-9 }}
* Venturi, Robert (1977). ''Learning from Las Vegas'' (with D. Scott Brown and S. Izenour), Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. ISBN 0-262-72006-X
* Wigley, Mark (1995). ''The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida's Haunt''. The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-73114-2. * Tschumi, Bernard (1994). ''Architecture and Disjunction''. The MIT Press. Cambridge. {{ISBN|0-262-20094-5}}
* Van der Straeten, Bart. Retrieved April, 2006.
* Vicente Esteban Medina (2003) , '''©''' Tesis doctoral, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Registro Propiedad Intelectual Madrid Nº 16/2005/3967. Link de descarga de tesis en pdf: http://oa.upm.es/481/
* Venturi, Robert (1966). ''Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture'', The Museum of Modern Art Press, New York. {{ISBN|0-87070-282-3}}
</div>
* Venturi, Robert (1977). ''Learning from Las Vegas'' (with D. Scott Brown and S. Izenour), Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. {{ISBN|0-262-72006-X}}
* Wigley, Mark (1995). ''The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida's Haunt''. The MIT Press. {{ISBN|0-262-73114-2}}.
* Vicente Esteban Medina (2003) , '''©''' Tesis doctoral, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Registro Propiedad Intellectual Madrid Nº 16/2005/3967. Link de descarga de tesis en pdf: http://oa.upm.es/481/
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book|title=Design of the 20th Century|first1=Charlotte|last1=Fiell|first2=Peter|last2=Fiell|publisher=Taschen|location=Köln|edition=25th anniversary|year=2005|page=204|isbn=9783822840788|oclc=809539744}}


==External links== ==External links==
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{{Commons category|Deconstructivism}} {{Commons category|Deconstructivism}}
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* (Spanish) Vicente Esteban Medina (2003) * Vicente Esteban Medina (2003). {{in lang|es}}

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Latest revision as of 21:08, 1 October 2024

Postmodern architectural movement since the 1980s This article is about the architectural style or movement known as deconstructivism. For the philosophical idea, see deconstruction. For other uses, see deconstruction (disambiguation).
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Deconstructivism
Walt Disney Concert Hall by Frank Gehry, Los Angeles, California
InfluencesConstructivist architecture
Post-structuralist philosophy
Postmodernism
Preceded by Modernism
Postmodernity
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Deconstructivism is a postmodern architectural movement which appeared in the 1980s. It gives the impression of the fragmentation of the constructed building, commonly characterised by an absence of obvious harmony, continuity, or symmetry. Its name is a portmanteau of Constructivism and "Deconstruction", a form of semiotic analysis developed by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Architects whose work is often described as deconstructivist (though in many cases the architects themselves reject the label) include Zaha Hadid, Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, Bernard Tschumi, and Coop Himmelb(l)au.

The term does not inherently refer to the style's deconstructed visuals as the English adjective suggests, but instead derives from the movement's foundations in contrast to the Russian Constructivist movement during the First World War that "broke the rules" of classical architecture through the French language.

Besides fragmentation, deconstructivism often manipulates the structure's surface skin and deploys non-rectilinear shapes which appear to distort and dislocate established elements of architecture. The finished visual appearance is characterized by unpredictability and controlled chaos.

History, context and influences

Deconstructivism came to public notice with the 1982 Parc de la Villette architectural design competition, in particular the entry from Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman and the winning entry by Bernard Tschumi, as well as the Museum of Modern Art’s 1988 Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition in New York, organized by Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley. Tschumi stated that calling the work of these architects a "movement" or a new "style" was out of context and showed a lack of understanding of their ideas, and believed that Deconstructivism was simply a move against the practice of PoMo, which he said involved "making Doric temple forms out of plywood".

Other influential exhibitions include the 1989 opening of the Wexner Center for the Arts in Columbus, designed by Peter Eisenman. The New York exhibition has featured works by Frank Gehry, Daniel Libeskind, Rem Koolhaas, Peter Eisenman, Zaha Hadid, Coop Himmelb(l)au, and Bernard Tschumi. Since their exhibitions, some architects associated with Deconstructivism have distanced themselves from it; nonetheless, the term has stuck and has come to embrace a general trend within Contemporary architecture.

Olivetti Valentine typewriter (1969) by Ettore Sottsass
Wotrubakirche in Vienna, built in 1976 is an early example of deconstructivism in the history of architecture.

Early antecedents of the architectural movement could be found in industrial design, notably in Ettore Sottsass' design for the 1969 Olivetti Valentine typewriter, a non-conformist design that deconstructed what was typically the typewriter's bodywork, revealing elements normally concealed, using 'floating keys' and a body-colored plastic 'rail' ahead of the spacebar, visually detached from the typewriter's main body.

Modernism and postmodernism

Seattle Central Library by Rem Koolhaas and OMA

The term Deconstructivism in contemporary architecture is opposed to the ordered rationality of Modernism and Postmodernism. Though postmodernist and nascent deconstructivist architects both published in the journal Oppositions (published between 1973 and 1984), that journal's contents mark a decisive break between the two movements. Deconstructivism took a confrontational stance to architectural history, wanting to "disassemble" architecture. While postmodernism returned to embrace the historical references that modernism had shunned, possibly ironically, deconstructivism rejected the postmodern acceptance of such references, as well as the idea of ornament as an after-thought or decoration.

In addition to Oppositions, a defining text for both deconstructivism and postmodernism was Robert Venturi's Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture (1966). It argues against the purity, clarity and simplicity of modernism. With its publication, functionalism and rationalism, the two main branches of modernism, were overturned as paradigms. The reading of the postmodernist Venturi was that ornament and historical allusion added a richness to architecture that modernism had foregone. Some Postmodern architects endeavored to reapply ornament even to economical and minimal buildings, described by Venturi as "the decorated shed". Rationalism of design was dismissed but the functionalism of the building was still somewhat intact. This is close to the thesis of Venturi's next major work, that signs and ornament can be applied to a pragmatic architecture, and instill the philosophic complexities of semiology.

The deconstructivist reading of Complexity and Contradiction is quite different. The basic building was the subject of problematics and intricacies in deconstructivism, with no detachment for ornament. Rather than separating ornament and function, like postmodernists such as Venturi, the functional aspects of buildings were called into question. Geometry was to deconstructivists what ornament was to postmodernists, the subject of complication, and this complication of geometry was in turn, applied to the functional, structural, and spatial aspects of deconstructivist buildings. One example of deconstructivist complexity is Frank Gehry's Vitra Design Museum in Weil-am-Rhein, which takes the typical unadorned white cube of modernist art galleries and deconstructs it, using geometries reminiscent of cubism and abstract expressionism. This subverts the functional aspects of modernist simplicity while taking modernism, particularly the international style, of which its white stucco skin is reminiscent, as a starting point. Another example of the deconstructivist reading of Complexity and Contradiction is Peter Eisenman's Wexner Center for the Arts. The Wexner Center takes the archetypal form of the castle, which it then imbues with complexity in a series of cuts and fragmentations. A three-dimensional grid runs somewhat arbitrarily through the building. The grid, as a reference to modernism, of which it is an accoutrement, collides with the medieval antiquity of a castle. Some of the grid's columns intentionally do not reach the ground, hovering over stairways creating a sense of neurotic unease and contradicting the structural purpose of the column. The Wexner Center deconstructs the archetype of the castle and renders its spaces and structure with conflict and difference.

Deconstructivist philosophy

Some Deconstructivist architects were influenced by the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Eisenman was a friend of Derrida, but even so his approach to architectural design was developed long before he became a Deconstructivist. For him Deconstructivism should be considered an extension of his interest in radical formalism. Some practitioners of deconstructivism were also influenced by the formal experimentation and geometric imbalances of Russian constructivism. There are additional references in deconstructivism to 20th-century movements: the modernism/postmodernism interplay, expressionism, cubism, minimalism and contemporary art. Deconstructivism attempts to move away from the supposedly constricting 'rules' of modernism such as "form follows function", "purity of form", and "truth to materials".

Libeskind's Imperial War Museum North in Trafford, Greater Manchester (2002). An archetype of deconstructivist architecture, it comprises three fragmented, intersecting curved volumes, symbolizing the destruction of war.

The main channel from deconstructivist philosophy to architectural theory was through the philosopher Jacques Derrida's influence with Peter Eisenman. Eisenman drew some philosophical bases from the literary movement Deconstruction, and collaborated directly with Derrida on projects including an entry for the Parc de la Villette competition, documented in Chora l Works. Both Derrida and Eisenman, as well as Daniel Libeskind were concerned with the "metaphysics of presence", and this is the main subject of deconstructivist philosophy in architecture theory. The presupposition is that architecture is a language capable of communicating meaning and of receiving treatments by methods of linguistic philosophy. The dialectic of presence and absence, or solid and void occurs in much of Eisenman's projects, both built and unbuilt. Both Derrida and Eisenman believe that the locus, or place of presence, is architecture, and the same dialectic of presence and absence is found in construction and deconstructivism.

According to Derrida, readings of texts are best carried out when working with classical narrative structures. Any architectural deconstructivism requires the existence of a particular archetypal construction, a strongly-established conventional expectation to play flexibly against. The design of Frank Gehry’s own Santa Monica residence, (from 1978), has been cited as a prototypical deconstructivist building. His starting point was a prototypical suburban house embodied with a typical set of intended social meanings. Gehry altered its massing, spatial envelopes, planes and other expectations in a playful subversion, an act of "de"construction"

In addition to Derrida's concepts of the metaphysics of presence and deconstructivism, his notions of trace and erasure, embodied in his philosophy of writing and arche-writing found their way into deconstructivist memorials. Daniel Libeskind envisioned many of his early projects as a form of writing or discourse on writing and often works with a form of concrete poetry. He made architectural sculptures out of books and often coated the models in texts, openly making his architecture refer to writing. The notions of trace and erasure were taken up by Libeskind in essays and in his project for the Jewish Museum Berlin. The museum is conceived as a trace of the erasure of the Holocaust, intended to make its subject legible and poignant. Memorials such as Maya Lin's Vietnam Veterans Memorial and Peter Eisenman's Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe are also said to reflect themes of trace and erasure.

Constructivism and Russian Futurism

Another major current in deconstructivist architecture takes inspiration from the Constructivist and Russian Futurist movements of the early twentieth century, both in their graphics and in their visionary architecture, little of which was actually constructed.

Artists Naum Gabo, El Lissitzky, Kazimir Malevich, and Alexander Rodchenko, have influenced the graphic sense of geometric forms of deconstructivist architects such as Zaha Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au. Both Deconstructivism and Constructivism have been concerned with the tectonics of making an abstract assemblage. Both were concerned with the radical simplicity of geometric forms as the primary artistic content, expressed in graphics, sculpture and architecture. The Constructivist tendency toward purism, though, is absent in Deconstructivism: form is often deformed when construction is deconstructed. Also lessened or absent is the advocacy of socialist and collectivist causes.

The primary graphic motifs of constructivism were the rectangular bar and the triangular wedge, others were the more basic geometries of the square and the circle. In his series Prouns, El Lizzitzky assembled collections of geometries at various angles floating free in space. They evoke basic structural units such as bars of steel or sawn lumber loosely attached, piled, or scattered. They were also often drafted and share aspects with technical drawing and engineering drawing. Similar in composition is the deconstructivist series Micromegas by Daniel Libeskind.

The symbolic breakdown of the wall effected by introducing the Constructivist motifs of tilted and crossed bars sets up a subversion of the walls that define the bar itself. ... This apparent chaos actually constructs the walls that define the bar; it is the structure. The internal disorder produces the bar while splitting it even as gashes open up along its length.

— Phillip Johnson and Mark Wigley, Deconstructive Architecture, p. 34

Contemporary art

8 Spruce Street in Manhattan with rippling stainless steel on three of its elevations including the east elevation facing Brooklyn but a more typical flat surface on its south elevation facing Wall Street and the financial district

Two strains of modern art, minimalism and cubism, have had an influence on deconstructivism. Analytical cubism had a sure effect on deconstructivism, as forms and content are dissected and viewed from different perspectives simultaneously. A synchronicity of disjoined space is evident in many of the works of Frank Gehry and Bernard Tschumi. Synthetic cubism, with its application of found object art, is not as great an influence on deconstructivism as Analytical cubism, but is still found in the earlier and more vernacular works of Frank Gehry. Deconstructivism also shares with minimalism a disconnection from cultural references.

With its tendency toward deformation and dislocation, there is also an aspect of expressionism and expressionist architecture associated with deconstructivism. At times deconstructivism mirrors varieties of expressionism, neo-expressionism, and abstract expressionism as well. The angular forms of the Ufa Cinema Center by Coop Himmelb(l)au recall the abstract geometries of the numbered paintings of Franz Kline, in their unadorned masses. The UFA Cinema Center also would make a likely setting for the angular figures depicted in urban German street scenes by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner. The work of Wassily Kandinsky also bears similarities to deconstructivist architecture. His movement into abstract expressionism and away from figurative work, is in the same spirit as the deconstructivist rejection of ornament for geometries.

Several artists in the 1980s and 1990s contributed work that influenced or took part in deconstructivism. Maya Lin and Rachel Whiteread are two examples. Lin's 1982 project for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with its granite slabs severing the ground plane, is one. Its shard-like form and reduction of content to a minimalist text influenced deconstructivism, with its sense of fragmentation and emphasis on reading the monument. Lin also contributed work for Eisenman's Wexner Center. Rachel Whiteread's cast architectural spaces are another instance where contemporary art is confluent with architecture. Ghost (1990), an entire living space cast in plaster, solidifying the void, alludes to Derrida's notion of architectural presence. Gordon Matta-Clark's Building cuts were deconstructed sections of buildings exhibited in art galleries.

1988 MoMA exhibition

Mark Wigley and Philip Johnson curated the 1988 Museum of Modern Art exhibition Deconstructivist architecture, which crystallized the movement, and brought fame and notoriety to its key practitioners. The architects presented at the exhibition were Peter Eisenman, Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Coop Himmelblau, Rem Koolhaas, Daniel Libeskind, and Bernard Tschumi. Mark Wigley wrote the accompanying essay and tried to show a common thread among the various architects whose work was usually more noted for their differences.

The projects in this exhibition mark a different sensibility, one in which the dream of pure form has been disturbed.

It is the ability to disturb our thinking about form that makes these projects deconstructive.

The show examines an episode, a point of intersection between several architects where each constructs an unsettling building by exploiting the hidden potential of modernism.

— Phillip Johnson and Mark Wigley, excerpt from the MoMA Deconstructivist Architecture catalog

Computer-aided design

Computer-aided design is now an essential tool in most aspects of contemporary architecture, but the particular nature of deconstructivism makes the use of computers especially pertinent. Three-dimensional modelling and animation (virtual and physical) assists in the conception of very complicated spaces, while the ability to link computer models to manufacturing jigs (CAM—computer-aided manufacturing) allows the mass production of subtly different modular elements to be achieved at affordable costs. Also, Gehry is noted for producing many physical models as well as computer models as part of his design process. Though the computer has made the designing of complex shapes much easier, not everything that looks odd is "deconstructivist".

Gallery

Critical responses

Since the publication of Kenneth Frampton's Modern Architecture: A Critical History (first edition 1980) there has been a keen consciousness of the role of criticism within architectural theory. Whilst referencing Derrida as a philosophical influence, deconstructivism can also be seen as having as much a basis in critical theory as the other major offshoot of postmodernism, critical regionalism. The two aspects of critical theory, urgency and analysis, are found in deconstructivism. There is a tendency to re-examine and critique other works or precedents in deconstructivism, and also a tendency to set aesthetic issues in the foreground. An example of this is the Wexner Center. Critical Theory, however, had at its core a critique of capitalism and its excess, and from that respect many of the works of the Deconstructivists would fail in that regard if only they are made for an elite and are, as objects, highly expensive, despite whatever critique they may claim to impart on the conventions of design.

The difference between criticality in deconstructivism and criticality in critical regionalism is that critical regionalism reduces the overall level of complexity involved and maintains a clearer analysis while attempting to reconcile modernist architecture with local differences. In effect, this leads to a modernist "vernacular". Critical regionalism displays a lack of self-criticism and a utopianism of place. Deconstructivism, meanwhile, maintains a level of self-criticism and a dystopianism of place, as well as external criticism and tends towards maintaining a level of complexity. Some architects identified with the movement, notably Frank Gehry, have actively rejected the classification of their work as deconstructivist.

Critics of deconstructivism see it as a purely formal exercise with little social significance. Kenneth Frampton finds it "elitist and detached". Nikos Salingaros calls deconstructivism a "viral expression" that invades design thinking in order to build destroyed forms; while curiously similar to both Derrida's and Philip Johnson's descriptions, this is meant as a harsh condemnation of the entire movement. Other criticisms are similar to those of deconstructivist philosophy—that since the act of deconstructivism is not an empirical process, it can result in whatever an architect wishes, and it thus suffers from a lack of consistency. Today there is a sense that the philosophical underpinnings of the beginning of the movement have been lost, and all that is left is the aesthetic of deconstructivism. Other criticisms reject the premise that architecture is a language capable of being the subject of linguistic philosophy, or, if it was a language in the past, critics claim it is no longer. Others question the wisdom and impact on future generations of an architecture that rejects the past and presents no clear values as replacements and which often pursues strategies that are intentionally aggressive to human senses.

See also

Citations

  1. ^ Taschen & Taschen 2016, p. 148.
  2. "What is Deconstructivism?". ArchDaily. 2018-08-12. Retrieved 2020-07-19.
  3. Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman, Chora L Works (New York: Monacelli Press, 1997)
  4. Rem Koolhaas and Bernard Tschumi in Conversation, 18 May 2001, ETH Zürich.
  5. Wotruba sixpackfilm Vienna, Austria 2014 https://www.sixpackfilm.com/de/catalogue/2118/
  6. Tschumi, Architecture and Disjunction
  7. Venturi (1977), Learning From Las Vegas
  8. Libeskind, Daniel. "Imperial War Museum North Earth Time" Archived 2007-10-21 at the Wayback Machine quote "This project develops the realm of the in between, the inter-est.... Pointing to that which is absent". Retrieved April, 2006
  9. ^ Curl, James Stevens (2006). A Dictionary of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (Paperback) (Second ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-860678-8.
  10. Eisenman and Derrida, Choral Works
  11. Derrida, Of Grammatology
  12. Holloway, Robert (1994)."Mattaclarking" Archived 2007-05-17 at the Wayback Machine Dissertation Exploring the work of Gordon Matta-Clark. Retrieved April, 2006.
  13. Derrida, Of Grammatology (1967)
  14. Larsen, Keith (November 1, 2020). "Occupancy at The New York by Gehry falls by more than 20%". The Real Deal New York. Retrieved February 25, 2024. Frank Gehry designed the rippling stainless steel tower at 8 Spruce Street, which architecture critics marveled at for its unique "deconstructivism style."
  15. Kandinsky, "Point and Line to Plane"
  16. Said Frank Gehry of Eisenman's Aronoff Center, "The best thing about Peter's buildings is the insane spaces he ends up with.... All that other stuff, the philosophy and all, is just bullshit as far as I'm concerned." Quoted in Peter Eisenman, Peter Eisenman: 1990-1997, ed. Richard C. Levene and Fernando Márquez Cecilia (Madrid: El Croquis Editorial, 1997), 46.
  17. Frampton, Kenneth. Modern Architecture: A Critical History. Thames & Hudson, 3rd edition, 1992, p. 313
  18. Salingaros, Nikos. "Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction", Umbau-Verlag, 3rd edition, 2008
  19. Chakraborty, Judhajit; Deconstruction: From Philosophy to Design. Arizona State University, retrieved June 2006. "Today, in the mid 90s the term 'deconstructivism' is used casually to label any work that favours complexity over simplicity and dramatises the formal possibilities of digital production."

General and cited references

  • Bony, Anne (2012). L'Architecture Moderne (in French). Larousse. ISBN 978-2-03-587641-6.
  • Derrida, Jacques (1967). Of Grammatology, (hardcover: ISBN 0-8018-1841-9, paperback: ISBN 0-8018-1879-6, corrected edition: ISBN 0-8018-5830-5) trans. Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak. Johns Hopkins University Press.
  • Derrida, Jacques & Eisenman, Peter (1997). Chora l Works. Monacelli Press. ISBN 1-885254-40-7.
  • Derrida, Jacques & Husserl, Edmund (1989). Edmund Husserl's Origin of Geometry: An Introduction. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 0-8032-6580-8
  • Frampton, Kenneth (1992). Modern Architecture, a critical history. Thames & Hudson- Third Edition. ISBN 0-500-20257-5
  • Johnson, Phillip & Wigley, Mark (1988). Deconstructivist Architecture: The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Little Brown and Company. ISBN 0-87070-298-X
  • Hays, K.M. (ed.) (1998). Oppositions Reader. Princeton Architectural Press. ISBN 1-56898-153-8
  • Kandinsky, Wassily. Point and Line to Plane. Dover Publications, New York. ISBN 0-486-23808-3
  • McLeod, Mary, "Architecture and Politics in the Reagan Era: From Postmodernism to Deconstructivism," "Assemblage," 8 (1989), pp. 23–59.
  • Poisson, Michel (2009). 1000 Immeubles et monuments de Paris (in French). Parigramme. ISBN 978-2-84096-539-8.
  • Rickey, George (1995). Constructivism: Origins and Evolution. George Braziller; Revised edition. ISBN 0-8076-1381-9
  • Salingaros, Nikos (2008). "Anti-Architecture and Deconstruction", 3rd edition. Umbau-Verlag, Solingen, Germany. ISBN 978-3-937954-09-7
  • Taschen, Aurelia; Taschen, Balthazar (2016). L'Architecture Moderne de A à Z (in French). Bibliotheca Universalis. ISBN 978-3-8365-5630-9.
  • Tschumi, Bernard (1994). Architecture and Disjunction. The MIT Press. Cambridge. ISBN 0-262-20094-5
  • Van der Straeten, Bart. Image and Narrative – The Uncanny and the architecture of Deconstruction Retrieved April, 2006.
  • Venturi, Robert (1966). Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture, The Museum of Modern Art Press, New York. ISBN 0-87070-282-3
  • Venturi, Robert (1977). Learning from Las Vegas (with D. Scott Brown and S. Izenour), Cambridge MA, 1972, revised 1977. ISBN 0-262-72006-X
  • Wigley, Mark (1995). The Architecture of Deconstruction: Derrida's Haunt. The MIT Press. ISBN 0-262-73114-2.
  • Vicente Esteban Medina (2003) Forma y composición en la Arquitectura deconstructivista, © Tesis doctoral, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Registro Propiedad Intellectual Madrid Nº 16/2005/3967. Link de descarga de tesis en pdf: http://oa.upm.es/481/

Further reading

  • Fiell, Charlotte; Fiell, Peter (2005). Design of the 20th Century (25th anniversary ed.). Köln: Taschen. p. 204. ISBN 9783822840788. OCLC 809539744.

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