History, Criticism and Theory in Architecture: Things of Postmodernity

Content

When we think of postmodern architecture, we often think of concepts (‘superficiality’, ‘pastiche’, ‘simulacra’, and so on) and not so much of ‘things’. In other words, our analysis of postmodern architecture tends to focus on the immaterial and ignore all the material objects that these buildings are made of, and that distinguish them from their predecessors. This bias makes us underestimate the importance of mundane, humble ‘things’ in the design of these buildings and our lived experience of them. Because underpinning the transformation of architecture over the last fifty years was not just a generic shift in our worldview, but also the introduction of discrete technological objects which functioned as vehicles for the ideological, cultural, and societal changes that we associate with the postmodern turn. Following this proposition, this course examines postmodern architecture through the analysis of sixteen ‘things’ and the legal, material, and technical networks attached to them: mirror, escalator, ramp, TV screen, neon lamp, plant, glue, CCTV, cladding panel, plasterboard, shipping container, vending machine, corporate art, solar panel, computer, and cinder block. We will do so by reviewing a large body of literature on the ontological, epistemological, and social politics of things and matter more in general. Readings will include key works in architectural history, semiotics, actor-network theory, new materialism, and postmodern theory. Students successfully completing the course will be able to read buildings from an object-oriented perspective.

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