Week 14: Post Modernism

 Post Modernism

Postmodernism became a trend in the early 1980s when the country was coming out of a recession. With this big shift in society, the design world shifted along with it by rejecting modernism and tracking back to many movements before its time. Not only did people want to honor the past styles, but they also wanted to become more sustainable in their ways of living, so recycling old furniture brought in classic styles all while being environmentally friendly. Another big shift of this time took place in the technology world with the introduction of computers. Here commercial office building layouts changed along with the furniture the workers would be using. Here comfortability and partialism became key in designing.

After a long era of modernism, designers such as Ettors Sottsass, Michele de Lucchi, Michael Graves, and George Sowden banded together from across the world to create the Memphis Movement, a plan to abolish modernism. Their style was said to be inspired by the Art Deco era, but when looking at examples of the Memphis movement's work, one might associate the furniture with modernism. Traces of angular shapes, simplistic materiality, and unusual forms that come from the Memphis movement, which started a rejection of modernism, almost in a way honors it. The futuristic spaces and forms are set apart from the movement of its past by the use of many bright and vibrant colors.

Another group of architects who set out to change the designing world away from modernism was the New York Five. Here, Peter Eisenman, Michael Graves, Charles Gwathmey, John Hejduk, and Richard Meier embraced styles of the past and added a twist to set their designs apart. This group didn’t fully reject modernism and even took inspiration from some staple modern architects such as Le Corbusier and Mies Van Der Rohe. They enjoyed their merge of the interior with the exterior with large glass facades and the geometrical grid shown in modern structures.  It can be said that this group of people was a melting pot of styles put together to honor the past, all while creating a new future.

Later in the 1980s, the recycling term was taken more seriously through deconstructivism. Parts and pieces of a structure were taken apart or moved around to save materials and keep viewers surprised with every visit to a space. However, there is one outlier to this proposal, and his name is Peter Eisenman. He disregarded with sustainable designs and believed “architecture does not solve human issues.” Frank Gehry can best describe the deconstructive movement with his experimental designs. His work defines the word “deconstruct” because the façade of the Guggenheim Museum, one of his most famous pieces of work, looks like it’s being peeled off the structure.

Through the 1980s and so on, the gap between modernism and today’s style was bridged together by post-modern architects. Whether they evolved from modernism or rejected it all together, they were a part of a very important era of design that influenced how we live in spaces today.

One Step Further: Michael Graves

I instantly gravitated toward Michael Graves while learning in this week's lectures. His story is close to me because I have seen the side of architecture that not many people remember to consider. A very close family member of mine was diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age. As we grew up together, he started to deteriorate, and walking soon turned into crutches which not too far after that turned into a permanent wheelchair. Although we are grateful for the time we get to spend with him, family outings looked very different with a wheelchair. From this experience, it's crazy to see how many public spaces such as restaurants aren’t up to par with ADA rules.

Michael Graves became paralyzed in 2003 and knows what it's like to have limited mobility space.

Many of his designs consider the disabled before anything else which means his structures are open and accessible to anyone no matter their circumstances. In 2011 Graves collaborated with the Wounded Warriors Project to design homes for Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who are now disabled because of the war. The homes include adjustable-height countertops, easy-access rooms and closets, automatic doors, open floorplans, curbless showers, and hardwood floors. The homes are also designed to be built in any environment so that veterans across the country can benefit from these easily accessible homes.

Sources:

Michael Graves Designs Accessible Homes for Wounded Vets | Architect Magazine

Additional information:

Michael Graves: Biography, Works, Awards (architecturelab.net)

Design for All | Michael Graves (youtube.com)

Michael Graves | Postmodern Architect & Designer | Britannica