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by Rem Koolhaas and OMA ]] :''See also the philosophical idea of Deconstruction . Deconstructivism in architecture, also called '''Deconstruction''', is a development in Postmodern Architecture beginning in the late 1980s. It is characterised by ideas of fragmentation, Non-linear processes of design, an interest in manipulating ideas of a structures surface or skin, and apparent Non-Euclidean Geometry , which serve to distort and dislocate some of the Elements Of Architecture such as structure and envelope. The final visual appearance of buildings in this style are characterized by a stimulating unpredictability and a controlled chaos. Important events in the history of the style include the 1982 Parc De La Villette Competition, the 1988 Museum Of Modern Art show organized by Philip Johnson and the 1989 opening of the Wexner Center For The Arts designed by Peter Eisenman . Some of the architects involved have been influenced by the writings of the French Philosopher Jacques Derrida and his ideas on Deconstruction ; others have been influenced by the idea of reiterating the geometric imbalances of the Russian Constructivist movement. All are attempting to move architecture away from what they see as the constricting 'rules' of Modernism - Form Follows Function , Purity Of Form , Truth To Materials , expression of structure, etc. HISTORY, CONTEXT & INFLUENCES Modernism and postmodernism ]] Deconstructivism is a movement in Contemporary Architecture that primarily counters the ordered rationality of Modernism . Its relationship with Postmodernism is also decidedly contrary. Though postmodernist and what would become deconstructivist architects published theories alongside each other in the journal '' Oppositions '', this journal is the beginning of a decisive break in the two movements. Deconstruction took an opposing stance toward much of architecture and Architectural History , wanting to disjoin and disassemble architecture. While postmodernism returned to embrace the historical trappings that modernism had shunned, deconstructivism rejects the postmodern ideas of eclectic cultural references and ornament. This rejection aligns it somewhat with the anti-historicism of many modern works, and is a part of its definition as a new movement. Deconstructivist philosophy by Peter Eisenman in the courtyard of The main channel of deconstructivist philosophy to Architectural Theory was through the philosopher Jacques Derrida to Peter Eisenman . Architect Peter Eisenman drew some philosophical bases from the literary movement Deconstruction , and collaborated directly with Derrida on projects including an architectural competition entry for the Parc De La Villette . This collaboration is documented in the book ''Chora l Works'' ( Bernard Tschumi eventually won the competition). Both Derrida and Eisenman, as well as Daniel Libeskind ''"This project develops the realm of the in between, the inter-est………Pointing to that which is absent"'' - libeskind quote on Imperial War Museum North {Link without Title} were concerned with the "metaphysics of presence", and this is the main subject of deconstructivist philosophy in architecture theory. The dialectic of presence and absence, or solid and void occurs in much of Eisenman's built and unbuilt projects. Both Derrida and Eisenman believed that the locus, or place of presence, was architecture, and the same dialectic of presence and absence was found in construction and deconstruction. According to Derrida, readings of texts are best carried out when working with classical narrative structures. Any architectural deconstruction requires the existence of a particular archetype. The design of Frank Gehry’s own Santa Monica residence, dating from 1978, has been cited as a prototypical variation-on-a-standard-theme: beginning with an ordinary house in an ordinary neighborhood, Gehry altered its massing, spatial envelopes, planes and other expectations in a playful subversion. The result looks a lot like Deconstruction. Dissertation Exploring the work of Gordon Matta-Clark by Robert Holloway Constructivism Another, in part separate, major current in deconstructivist architecture takes inspiration from the Russian Constructivist movement. The compositions of sculptors El Lissitzky and Naum Gabo and painters Kazimir Malevich and Alexander Rodchenko have greatly influenced deconstructivist architects such as Zaha Hadid and Coop Himmelb(l)au with their irregular geometric forms. Both Deconstructivism and Constructivism were concerned with the tectonics of making and abstract assemblage. Both were concerned with the radical simplicity of geometry, expressing forms in graphics, sculpture and architecture as the primary artistic content. The Constructivist tendency toward Purism is absent in Deconstructivism, as form is often deformed when construction is deconstructed. 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. by Coop Himmelb(l)au ]] Contemporary art Two strains of modern art, Minimalism and Cubism have had an influence on deconstructivism. Deconstructivism shares a lack of cultural references with minimalism, and an emphasis on geometry, but the lack of reference is not as complete. It also often shares notions of Conceptual Art with minimalism. Analytical cubism, with its multiplicity of views, 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 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. Several artists in the 1980s and 1990s contributed work that influenced or took part in deconstructivism. Maya Lin 's 1982 project for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial , with its granite slabs severing the ground plane, is one. Its shard-like form and a reduction of content to a text influenced deconstructivism with its sense of fragmentation and emphasis on reading the monument, clearly echo deconstructivist thought. Lin also contributed work for Eisenman's Wexner Center. Rachel Whiteread 's cast architectural spaces are another instance of Contemporary Art in confluence with architecture. ''Ghost'' (1990), an entire living space cast in plaster with its solidification of what is typically absent, alludes to the Derridean notion of architectural presence. Gordon Matta-Clark 's ''Building cuts'' were deconstructed sections of buildings exhibited in art galleries. 1988 MOMA exhibition in Prague ]] Mark Wigley and Phillip Johnson curated the 1988 Museum Of Modern Art exhibition ''Deconstructivist architecture'', which crystalized 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 between the various architects whose work was noted for their differences rather than their similarities. 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. Computer aided design Computer Aided Design now assists most aspects of contemporary architecure, but the particular nature of deconstrucivism make the use of computers pertinent. Three dimensional modelling and animation (virtual and physical) assists in the conception of very complex spaces, while the ability to link computer models to manufacturing jigs (CAM - Computer-aided Manufacturing ) allows the mass production of subtley different elements to be achieved at affordable costs. Interestingly, many early deconstructivist works appear to have been conceived with the aid of a computer, but were not; Zaha Hadid 's sketches for instance. Also, Gehry is noted for producing many physical models as well as computer models as part of his design process. in downtown Bilbao ]] CRITICISM Critics of Deconstruction see it as a purely formal exercise with little social significance. Kenneth Frampton finds it 'Elitist and detached' Frampton, Kenneth. Modern Architecture, a critical history. Thames & Hudson- Third Edition. 1992 pp313. Other criticisms are similar to those of deconstructivist philosophy - the act of deconstruction is not an empirical process and so can result in whatever a playful architect wishes, and so suffers, ironically, from a lack of philosophical consistency. Today there is a sense that the philosophical underpinnings of the beginning of the 'movement' have been lost, in favour of simply the aesthetic of deconstruction. Some architects identified with the movement, notably Frank Gehry , have actively rejected the classification of their work as deconstructivist. Deconstructivist designs may involve complexity that can increase the costs of design and construction. Increasing costs purely for aesthetic reasons may provide 'less building' in some cases and not fulfill the brief as effectively as alternative approaches. Eisenman's designs have been especially criticized for their deliberate hostility to users and their lack of functionality. NOTES REFERENCES
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