why i think postmodern architecture & interiors are bad
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- Опубликовано: 20 июн 2024
- Hi again! This week's video is for design nerds 🤍
I felt like opening up a convo about postmodernism in architecture and interior design because I've been seeing sooo many things labeled as "postmodern" recently. I personally rlly dislike the ideology behind postmodernism so it makes me sad to see nicely designed things mislabeled as postmodern.
This video is definitely very brief and there's a lot more to say but I hope it makes the general point about what postmodernism actually is, how it relates/reacts to modernism, and why I consider it to be bad design
Hope this is interesting & that you agree postmodernism is icky !!
xx nd
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As someone that doesn't have TikTok and doesn't want it, please never think twice about posting a "repition" on your RUclips channel. Your commentary on design here is very welcome. I'm sure I'm not the only one.
I totally agree. I refuse to download tiktok because of the spyware and addictive qualities
Wise words. I'm 100% with you.
Interesting and educational as always. Also 100%. And echoing others' request to do brutalism
If people are following him on tiktok and youtube, they can just skip what they’ve already seen.
yes!! same!! i prefer long form content:)
I agree that architecture and interiors that are non-functional on purpose are bad design (though I think they can be excellent art) what constitutes "excessive" and "unnecessary" ornamentation is a pure matter of opinion and can't be "good" or "bad" design. As long as the stairs can be safely and effectively used as stairs, having a funky mix of colors and patterns, or every spindle a different shape and style, is something you personally might find displeasing but someone else might find whimsical and fun. We're only on this planet a relatively short amount of time, and so much of our time is taken up by things that are so serious so why not allow some playfulness into design? I think postmodernism isn't always a "fuck you," sometimes it's just fun. And, yeah, ok, maybe it's a bit childish, but so what? I'm paying my bills on time, I'm taking care of my responsibilities, maybe a weird shaped table that looks like it could have been on the set of a Nickelodeon show in the 80s makes me smile, and if so, that IS serving a purpose.
No! No fun!
@@Hellvetika😂😂
I agree design can be fun and playful, and the idea that all “unnecessary” detail needs to be stripped away doesn’t really work in a lot of contexts which Noah does touch on a bit. It’s also a bit subjective on what is and isn’t gratuitous might just depend on someone’s personal sensibilities. The issue is more when the form interferes with function. In general I personally think most public spaces and homes should be designed to not be overwhelming and overstimulating, which usually aligns with the less is more philosophy. but some people love living in maximalist funhouses and that’s ok too if it works for them and makes them happy
Postmodernist designers and architects do actually respond to the culture and environment around them. With irony and cynicism. Designers who think design is a pointless joke are not my thing either but that’s how I perceive the postmodern design ethos
"Irony and cynicism" in postmodern design seems to create waste because it fails to live long. Fast fads might be profitable for those obsessed with making money. But those same fast fads fail to serve any long lasting needs. Of course, that's how they create profit, by needing frequent and regular change.
For humans to endorse postmodern design as an act of protest against function effects me as disrespect for life on Earth. How many piles of purposeless architecture and interior design do we need to see before we realize these hideous things are in our way, blocking out the sun, an arrogant burst of outrage over our responsibility to nurture and keep clean our environment? Teenage rebellion?
I am talking landfill sites among other human-created degradation on and of the planet. We need to get a grip on our lives on Earth. Maybe future generations will feel the need to see soil uncontaminated with micro-bits of postmodern displays of "Because I can".
I think post-modernism is really good at proposing the question: 'why not?' although you might not agree with some aesthetic choices, I wouldn't personally sum it up as a movement completely overthrowing functionality. To me it reflects back at modernism; not everything in our life is purely functional, and even then like you said yourself: 'the abstract idea of a function can be so flexible', why then would you not be able to consider 'starting a conversation' as a function? I think it confronts us with the insight that what we think a chair for example should look like, is just a learned assumption. As long as you can sit comfortably on it, perhaps what it looks like should not be set in stone.
This! This is why they are both so important still today
i feel you on the smaller scale postmodern spaces and objects but you kind of lose me when you try to paint all of them-especially the larger works-as being fundamentally alike in a way that is fundamentally negative.
eg, i’ve been to the disney concert hall many times over the years and honestly never really think about how it looks anymore. but in terms of functional qualities-acoustically, crowd management, entry and exit etc-i think it is pretty undeniably successful.
why are we willing to say “#notallmodernism” but not “#notallpostmodernism”?
I've been reading Jane Jacob's book "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" and she makes some really fascinating points about how modernist architects like Le Corbusier founded modern urban planning and how their ideas (surrounding city planning, e.g. the Radiant City) were detrimental to cities in the 20th century. Its crazy how modernist architecture seems so honest and people centered, but these same architects laid the groundwork for "urban renewal" and destroying neighborhoods. Its a great book, highly recommend.
love these takeaways asw
I just ordered this! Thanks for the recommendation, excited to explore further.
this book has been on my to read list for awhile and this comment thread just sold me on it! Will pick it up the next chance I get
I hope this isn’t too all over the place. I think what I like about postmodernism is that it doesn't take itself too seriously, which is what I think about modernism.There is space for more artistic applications of design, which is what makes it personally more engaging to me as both a designer and a fan of design. I don't think it is a fair assertion that the goal of postmodernism is to enrage fans of modern design. but I do think the point is to make people feel strongly about design .
Part of my feelings around modern design stem from my own experiences studying and practicing product design In design school, there is a lot of focus placed on modern design, so much so that in my class on the history of product design, we basically started with the bauhaus.I grew skeptical about modernism because everyone sang its praises, and I had always been a fan of other historical designs, gothic design, arts and crafts, art nouveau
I know that this channel is often more focused on residential design, and I can recognize that a full postmodern space can be jarring to live in, but I think postmodern objects can live very successfully in an otherwise traditional or modern space. And I think postmodern design specifically can do a lot for our public commercial surroundings and how we engage with our built environments outside of the home.
Love when you got to the part of art vs design. I'm an artist by education and a (software) designer by profession, and I watch a lot of interior content. I find there's a pretty strong divide between people who view themselves as artists or designers and how that translates into their space.
For instance, almost across the board, designers will advise not to go all in on one style and to mix and match while artists will absolutely go ham on a theme. Imo I think that tension is probably what gives you that ick about post modern buildings.
As a designer, I feel the same about these buildings, but as an artist, I can't say I like them but I don't hate them in the same way because of the history and knowledge of how postmodernism in art evolved. They're evocative, challenging, and thought provoking in ways that interior design probably shouldn't be, but I can't hate on people that push the boundaries.
That being said, I 100% agree with you on unsustainability of building such large spaces that don't feel comfortable or functional for the people that use them. I would prefer to see postmodernism make use of found objects and blend with natural elements that would make it more of a mature reaction to the types of modern materials that came with mass manufacturing.
This gets personal and I need to pen down my thoughts. Postmodernism always fascinates me given how diverse and different it is manifested across different fields - philosophically it has impacted me a lot since college, yet postmodern art isn’t my cup of tea. Personal taste aside, it seems a bit problematic to reject postmodernism as a whole in architecture and design.
I am primarily trained in urban planning and design, and Caroline’s earlier comment about Jane Jacob’s critique on modernism in this realm brings out a very pertinent question on understanding the rise and fall of modernism in architecture before the arrival of postmodernism. A crucial part of modernist design and architecture is this new layer of social responsibility, whereby better design is believed to be able to lead to a better way of life (physically, aesthetically, even morally) and ultimately a better world. Those are progressive and promising at the first glance, but are a bit arrogant and overly ambitious as well.
Beyond the usual critique of aesthetic blandness and the lack of personal identity, the fall of modernist design is kind of ironic to me due to its increasing insensitivity towards human and the contextuality into the 70s, and it is frustrating how the essence of human-oriented design is often missing or even executed in the exact opposite ways. This is a core reason why modernism as a movement has begun to be regarded as elitist, exclusive, detached from the working class, and even inhumane, despite its democratic intentions. Some modernist residential projects went really far in dictating interior designs in some housing estates. And in doing so, the actual wellbeing of ordinary residents has often been deprioritised when it comes to maintaining the code in modernist design. After all, Le Corbusier himself theorised (a) house as a living-in machine.
There are also varied subpar executions which further undermined modernist architecture with failed building methods and material choices - the justification of ‘affordability’ often ended up in using cheap materials with poor quality, which is especially prevalent among social housing projects. Eventually we have some grand residential projects and alienated housing estates which still impact a lot of cities decades later. And it’s unsurprising that postmodernism emerged under this backdrop of falling modernism, the dogmas associated with it, and the unfulfilled promises of a Utopian vision.
Of course I am not shitting on modernism as a whole, nor am I denying the intellectual merits of modernist design - moving to Barbican was my dream when I was living in London and I love and am collecting modernist furniture pieces, but I also believe in examining it holistically and critically. At the end of the day, form follows function is probably one of the most powerful and influential design principles in the 20th century, but neither form nor function should dictate one’s life or way of living.
Would love to have a video on your thoughts on Brutalist design
I never ever comment, but I have to say I’m so glad I found your channel.
You’ve managed to perfectly encapsulate my thoughts in ways I didn’t know how to articulate before.
I’ve actually started completely redoing my apartment, buying new (old) stuff from Marketplace thanks to you. The thing that had always intuitively bugged me but I don’t know why you summarised in another video: dishonest materials!
They all had to go. Starting afresh. 😊
Same here. Love u
We are sat and ready to learn
Update
Okay so I disagree with a majority of this video but honestly it was really nice to hear you out and have a discussion with myself about the topic. I think a majority of the time I tend to watch content that only validates my preexisting opinions/assumptions, so it scratches a new itch when I find an intelligent argument from an opposing perspective.
It’s a refreshing feeling knowing that I agree with you whole heartedly on some topics but then have contrasting ideas on others. Keep it up king 💕
I agree, while modernism is certainly challenged, postmodernism definitely can be functional, and can be disruptive in a good way. I find postmodernism architecture fun, interesting and equally historic and worth preserving. Now, postmodernism in objects is definitely a fad, although I don’t mind having some kick knacks myself.
I think this is your best video yet! I love how thoughtfully you discuss architecture, function, design vs. art, and notable architects. I could listen to you talk about these concepts for an entire semester.
I’d absolutely nut for a video with your thoughts on brutalism
I agree but you don’t gotta say it like that
@@James_Bisque but I love to say it like that
It's disgusting
@@Qrtuop as if you don’t do it
I clicked onto this video as a surrealist artist who likes SOME postmodern pieces and came away pretty much completely agreeing with you. When a space or object is terrible to use, unless it is purely meant to be art, I wouldn't want to interact with it. That being said, I do own Alessi's juicer and it is actually easy/painless to use! I haven't had any juice drip down the legs and I find that it works quite well. Do I have to find the appropriate sized glass and use two hands? Yes. But I purchased it partially because I see it as a functional art piece. I do find it a little annoying that the designer didn't give two flying f***s if it worked or not though. Luckily, it happens to work well for me (probably partially because I'm not juicing 10 lemons a day). I love your distinction between art and design- a full video on this would be great. Honestly, to each their own on what people want to include in their daily life! I do see how a lot of postmodern pieces/buildings could be seen as "bad design"
I think part of what makes postmodernism feel a little off putting is that at its core it’s a contrarian idea.
But wasn't modernism an idea that was contrarian to traditionalism?
@@craftyluna6381 exactly, that’s how all art movements have come into being! Each one a reaction to the previous!
@@craftyluna6381 I see your point, but I feel like modernism was more interested in introducing a new first principle of design (form following function), whereas postmodernism feels more like pure backlash to modernism.
@@craftyluna6381 if you look at the predecessors of modernism, you'll find (in my opinion) that it was a seamless organic development. So even though some modern architects had less kind things to say about overly ornamental styles, being "anti" isn't at the core of modernism. I find postmodernism anti in the sense that Italian futurism was anti.
@@GerlindeGronow It's been a long time since I've taken college design courses, and I get that, I do. But there were so many possible ways to be anti-modernist, that the particular way postmodernists did it was also pro-something. They rejected modernism, but they rejected it *for* something else, for whimsy, for playfulness, for abandon and excess. And yes, you can hate it, that's fine, but it wasn't just "not modern."
Thank you for describing postmodernism in architecture and interiors. I did not know much about the subject and just did not take it seriously and just knew I did not like it. It has something that bothers me especially in comparison to other historic design periods. It's somewhat cartoonish is my reaction to it. I'm not an interior designer. I had worked with interior designers and architects for many years as a graphic designer/illustrator within the facilities planning design division of ARAMARK Inc. I'm a painter now at age sixty-three and grew up in a home which was filled with classic design pieces from the late 1940's through 60's, because my father was a design director for four major companies in his career which was mostly in the commercial end of office and restaurant design. Our home was filled with Eames, Knoll, Bertoia, Saarinen, Risom, Nakashima, Nelson and McCobb. My dad worked with Paul McCobb and became friends with him back in the late 1940's. They both served in WWII and Paul was launching his Planner Group furnishings in the late 1940's and my dad designed a showroom space for the furniture. You would have liked my father. He originally in the 1950's designed future automobiles for Ford and Mercury in their Advanced Styling Division. I enjoy your videos very much.
You probably inherited the most gorgeous pieces of art and furniture. God has his favorites for sure.
@@nadjak3410 I really inherited a love for art and design which is more valuable than any single object. My father was a very interesting man that had a diverse design background. I took care of him the last five years of his life and he made it to age 94. He was still as sharp as a tack, and he was so proud of me for following a creative path in life. We had wonderful conversations about design. They often refer to that generation as the greatest generation and it is so true on many levels. They were dreamers and really followed the form follows function idea. They wanted things to be beautiful as well as being functional. He was drafted into the United States Army during WWII and sent into combat in the 69th Infantry Division. He was a Spec5 Army engineer and drew maps and did reconnaissance in France, Belgium and Germany during the war with another drafted artist named Roy Lichtenstein who later became known in the "Pop Art" movement that started in the 1960's. My mother and father raised six children. I'm the youngest and our home was filled with creativity. I became very interested in graphic design and illustration as I was growing up in the 1960's-70's and ended up doing that professionally for forty years. I was always around wonderful interior designers and architects. I'm currently painting abstract works which is a huge departure from what I did in earlier years and yet it is similar in the discipline of creating a finished work of that of a realist painter. The appreciation for design just continues to grow.
@@nadjak3410 More important than any object or furnishing is that I inherited a lifelong love for art and design from the foundation drawing up to realization. I was fortunate to grow up in a household full of creativity and being the youngest of six children there was an opportunity to observe so much. My mother and father saw that as a child, I had a very strong interest in art from around age three and would spend hours and hours drawing. I started working on professional projects at around age sixteen and developed skills in observation, appreciation and hand skills of pen to paper. The other thing that is very influential is being around mentors of art and design that are incredibly talented and later become lifelong friends. I was not very good at first and did not let that stop me but had a desire and passion and branches grew. I'm still today at age sixty-three learning. It's a lifelong journey and there's a real beauty in that and that opportunity for amazement and wonder is still present. I think the arts is the only study or occupation in which that happens. I have to thank my mother because she pushed me into design school. My father provided the example of what it was going to take to find any success. There's a lot of reinventions that occurs in a designer's life. I like Noah's videos because you can see and hear his appreciation for others attempts at either good or bad design. He's very young and I keep asking myself is how does he know so much? It's real and genuine and the first time I saw him with that tiny microphone my thought was what the heck does this guy have to say and it turned out he had a lot to say.
Frank Geary literally does ball up paper and give it to his team. There was a piece on 60 Minutes showing exactly that. And the object is then scanned, scaled up, and sliced in computer to figure out how each component is to be made and assembled in 3D space.
Thank you for sharing this, it articulates what bugged me about post-modernism. I really appreciate the thoughtfulness you bring to these discussions.
I’m not going to lie ✋🏽🤚🏽, I like the steps that goes nowhere. I want to read there. I understand the point though.
The exteriors of Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye and the Venturi House make a strikingly similar impression. Ironic!
i loved this! please do more videos talking about design periods you like/dislike i could listen for hours
Love Philippe Stark, almost all of this buildings and have had the lemon squeezer for 30 years. Have heard many young interior designers say that they learnt in school that it doesn’t work, yet I’ve used it all this time and it works perfectly so go figure…
Absolutely loved this video! Your thoughts are always laid out so clearly, and vague feelings I’ve had about these things are explained!
Same
Finally a new episode! I got bored re-watching a few episodes while waiting for a new one!
Really love your videos, a big thumbs up on a lot of pics that you show when talking about stuff
Loved this video! Especially you’re emphasizing how modernism is a philosophy rather than just an aesthetic. I wish it came with a “further reading” list! Do you have any literature you’re recommend for reading about modernist design philosophy?
I work in the AEC industry, and often work closely, if not for architects. I love hearing your explanations of design theory and, as a result, having some insight to their design process. Your explanations have also helped me build my "design vocabulary" and I feel like I have a better eye for validating the built environment and interiors I encounter.
Love that you briefly mentioned the Museum of Pop. As a fellow former Seattle-ite, I always thought the building looked interesting, but out of place.
2:21 Love seeing Fallingwater. It’s one of my favorite homes. I hope to see it in person someday soon. I visited Taliesin last summer and it was marvelous. I highly recommend. Frank Lloyd Wright was a wonderful architect who speaks to my soul.
Hot take here, but I find my Juicy Salif totally functional and anyone that can’t manage it probably shouldn’t be using any juicer without supervision.
It’s no more or less messy than just about any other handheld juicer, and I think all of the horror stories of it spraying lemon juice everywhere are coming from people that have never used it.
The part about juice running down the legs is pretty absurd and just straight up wrong, juice would have to straight up defy physics, and travel up the legs, remember that gravity is a thing, and then travel back down the legs after it has already reached the peak. Maybe a few drops occasionally shoot out, but really I think it’s time to chalk this up to incompetence.
I’m not a Phillipe Stark drone or anything here, but I put off buying this really cool piece for so long because I heard so many bad things about it, only to realize once I took the plunge that it’s not nearly as bad as people make it out to be.
Rant over thanks for reading #defendthesalif
Please please make a a video about the relationship between architecture and urban planning and development!
Noah I love your content! I would love some book recommendations from you (or even ppl watching as well), I'm really interesting in interior design but I don't know where to start
you explained this so well. i feel the exact same ick about postmodernism. thank you for articulating these concepts for us
Your videos arey intellectual feast. I absolutely love how you talk about architecture and design. Can you recommend any books or other content creators that expand these topics?
Noah in some universe if you were a lecturer, I’d be your most eager architecture student.
I really appreciate your explanation on the difference between art and design. That cleared things up in my head. Postmodernism indeed feels like a hybride form of art and design. At the cost of loosing functionality it can win on the 'artistic expression' side of things. From a purely design point of view there's definitely critique to be had. I personally do think it's really cool that an art museum can look like an artwork itself. The feeling it evokes is also a very important design choice and can communicate what the building is about. Plus it adds to the variety of architecture in a city. Even though I'm generally not into most postmodern designs I see (especially oversaturated objects that look like toys) I do think it's cool it exists.
I would love a (ideally negative) commentary on the overall architectural design of Oslo compared to, for example, Copenhagen!
We have no national architects like they have in Sweden and the most boring residential buildings are been built - where do we go from here? What is your opinion on typical buildings in Oslo and on national architects (riksarkitekter)? Can some buildings improve the whole city or do we need to do some major urban redesign? How do we approach design anchored to the building's surroundings and the country's culture when Norway does not have a very rich culture?
Every movement comes from a response to the previous movement or as a response to cultural/world events. It’s a phenomenon that not only happens in architecture but also politics, philosophy, art, fashion etc. I’d love to hear your opinion on other architectural movements and how they came to exist.
Noah! I really enjoy you talking about the history of design. Could you do a video on your experience learning/working in the field and how you got into it? Also tips I’m finding a good bed frame which isn’t uggers
I grew up in the 80s, and back then I couldn't explain why, but as soon as I moved into my first own place in the 90s, I started thrifting "modern" furniture from the 50s. It probably sounds silly but I really suffered when I had to live in an 80s building for a while. It wasn't only the aesthetics, the place was so dysfunctional. For example, the window side of the bedroom/side where the headboard of the bed had to go was a polygon, so you had these pointless triangular spaces to both sides of the headboard where only a triangular night stand would have fitted. And I won't even start on how to darken a room at night with five windows pointing at each other at angles. But now I am in a modernist 60s building, the floor plan is so well thought-out and "user friendly" that furnishing the space was easy. Even though it's just a small studio, it feels open and airy. I couldn't be happier!
Postmodernism becoming a bastardized SEO term is my personal nightmare. That's how much I agree with this video.
I don't think postmodern designers thought that their approach is the right or true one and the only way we should do design. As you said, it's an answer on modernism. I use and like both influences :) Form follows function is a great concept (even THE concept imo) but when you take it too far it gets plain and boring and lifeless so adding a bit of fun and unseriousness is the way to go. Postmodernism for me has something to do with accepting that not everything can be perfect and that it's okay to add a bit of irrationality.
By designing a lemon squeezer for example I still think that the modernist approach should be the leading one in the industry. The postmodern one is really just an art piece of course. Maybe the problem is the consumer who doesn't understands this or confuses it... and the money hungry industry reacting to it... just an idea.
Given that postmodernism came about during the 60s and 70s, a time when counter culture was _really_ popping off in every way in the West, it kinda makes sense that the rise in rejection of the norm came about.
I've got 0 background in design so maybe I'm talking out of my ass, but it feels like the logical step given that every other facet of society faced the "fuck this, we're literally doing the opposite" at that time. Music, fashion, even societally with what we expected of men and women to be doing/behaving/thinking from a gender norm point of view. The decision to do the exact opposite of what was expected at the time, in a funny sort of hindsight way of looking at it, couldn't have been _more_ expected 😅
Great video. Very informative. I am drawn to the use of colour in post modernism, which I think was a beautiful reaction to what was actually going on in the ordinary world of the 70s and 80’s (I was there). But yeah most of the designs have not withstood the test of time.
This has come at the perfect time! I am a traditional girly but also love a lot of the postmodern pieces too. Have been trying to figure out a way to successfully blend these two styles together and I think a good start to that is doing more research about Postmodernism, since I’m already super familiar with a more classic and traditional style.
*edit*
And I know this is basically you talking about how you dislike the style, but I’m still hoping to get a little bit of Inspo from this lmao. 🙈
The bit about pieces being labeled postmodern but not necessarily being postmodern was insightful. It makes me wonder if some of the “postmodern” pieces I do like aren’t really postmodern at all? Something to think about while designing my next space! Thank you.
Hi Noah! What are some “beginners” books you recommend for someone who wants to learn more about architecture and interior design? Love the vids as always!
You must love Louisiana! I'm sure you've already visited, but for anyone else who recently moved to or is visiting the Copenhagen area, it's a must-visit museum if you enjoy modernist architecture :)
Form over function gives me the ick, but as an uneducated civilian, modern architecture is presented as an arrangement of cold hard boxes with a few pillows here or there with big windows to make it a livable space. Like living in a gallery. I don't think regular humans want that.
Maybe that was the purpose. We all know some feel any publicity is good publicity. We all know negative space can make the colored space be enhanced. Design is always design. It is strange, it is appalling, it does evoke an emotion nevertheless.
I love your thought provoking videos
fantastic video as always. keep up the good work!
Does anyone have a collection of interior design channels they recommend? Similar to Noah or smaller channels that are unique or good finds. I’ve found a few but I’m on the lookout.
Thanks for another delightful and informative video. Love today's window location.
Id love to hear you dive more into art vs design! Im an artist; when I translate my artistic desires 1 to 1 to design I feel queasy and overstimulated by the result. I have to always reign in and simplify silhouettes, patterns, form etc when i'm decorating my home. Its been a huge learning process! Its a challenge to understand where the unexpected details should be placed to effectively deliver my vision without overtaking the function of a space.
On the flip side, I feel as though theres a shared bridge between composition in artwork, and design. Maybe because good composition requires clarity on placement, shape, repetition and scale? It sounds similar to design in that way, which I find very interesting haha.
What would you call the style of the building outside the window?
I absolutely loved Barragan studio-house when I visited it in CDMX, and I am happy to see it featured as an example of good architectural design, altough it is so different from contemporary liking for open spaces. I would love to hear you talk about that.
I actually love the Walt Disney music hall. The emotional experience I felt both outside and inside were unlike anything else I have experienced in other music venues.
Form Follows Emotion
It’s also interesting to deep dive into Scott Brown’s impact on historic preservation and the firm’s commitment at the time to retaining the historic fabric of cities and their shaping of modern urban planning practices (ie south street, UPenn Library)
also HIGHLY RECOMMEND Venturi’s “complexity and contradiction” which is a better lens into the framework of postmodern ideology in architectural theory
i love hearing people yap about things they are passionate about!!!
god forbid someone wants a funky lamp
the first building you showed by frank gehry is the weisman art museum on my college campus!
Hard agree! I feel like I've noticed the pendulum swinging back in this direction (with interiors and objects anyway) and I hate it so much. Would love to see a video comparing these with grand modernist buildings like the Sydney Opera House. Showing that it's possible to make a statement while still maintaining coherence.
Hey! I've watched most if not all of your videos at this point. The visual references really help in understanding the ideas, but it would be great if you could include names/references wherever you have them. For instance, this video contains an image of a gorgeous couch, but I have no way of finding out what it is and if it is attainable at all!
As a philosophy student, one question I might ask is can you separate postmodern philosophy from postmodern design? I would say no. I feel like there is some misunderstanding of postmodernism in this video, but of course there also might be some applications of it in design where designers do not give it what it is due--perhaps they misunderstand some elements also. Some of your critiques of it in design are critiques I hear of postmodern philosophy by those who do not offer a charitable understanding of it alongside their critiques.
😂 love that lemon squeezer
Noaaah, can you do a video on cool lamps that you like? I‘m trying to find a good one for my room in a shared flat and to me you’re kind of the guru of lighting haha
I learn so much 🙌🏼🙏🏼
You are so cool, Noah!
Waiting for another vid!
I have never met a person with such similar opinion and taste in interior design and architecture! I feel like you are reading my thoughts. If any of you are looking for channels with modern buildings, I would also recommend Open Space and Est. Maybe someone can suggest me a book about mid-century modern architecture? :)
I view postmodern design in the same way that I view Wavelength (Michael Snow) or Fountain (Duchamp). Integral to art history, a necessary conversation, philosophical ponderings of what art even is, a critique yet reinforcement of the politics and economics of art, and the ever infinite changing complexities of expression. The more I try and put a value judgement on it, the more I realize that it's neither good nor bad. The best way that I know how to explain my feelings is that while I understand and respect what it's doing, ultimately I have my own voice that wants to express something else.
I agree so much with your thoughts on bringing postmodernism to homes, I’ve been seeing a lot of people online complaining about “boring/minimal” home decor while ignoring that a lot of “boring” furniture is practical and comfortable, neutral colors are easy to decorate with, white walls are renter friendly and look good in different lighting and room sizes, etc. I’ve been leaning towards much more practical “timeless” kind of pieces in my home because I’m already bringing my personality into my space just by living in it basically. I’d rather my furniture and functional pieces like mirrors, rugs etc be pleasant to use and practical in the long term
And also there is so much design space between zany postmodernism and boring/minimalist. The cliched all-white/neutral Scandi aesthetic makes me want to go to sleep forever, but there is so much design that is clean and functional but also has beauty, texture, elegance, interest. (Tbh I feel like that's one reason many of us embraced good mid-century design so hard. It's not really minimalist, it just knows where to stop. Editing is everything.)
Great lesson! I agree with you, although I love the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao as a great sculpture, the inside is not very interesting.
As someone that loves modernism, can you do a video on Antoni Gaudi. I am so happy I found your channel.
While I dislike most post modern architecture, I quite enjoy post modern objects, I appreciate their kitschy, quirky playfulness. I love many things Stark and Sotsass have created. Maybe I am favourably biased cause I am a generation Xer and grew up surrounded by this type of design.
Having said that, postmodernism definitely lacks the timeless beauty and elegance of modernism.
I like your perspective on the whole art x design thing
I love your analysis and your willingness to break down why you hate it 😂 I too love modernism, but I don’t really see how a modernist building would fit into its surrounding context any better than postmodern buildings would. And ig I don’t really have a problem mixing art and architecture (we’ve done it throughout history after all). So for me the question would be; ceci n’est pas un lemon squeezer?
I rarely comment, and I have to say, well articulated, and you are so analytically correct. I have no words. You see me.
Great video, fantastic summary of the differences between modern and post-modern design. Its interesting reading some of the comments here, many watchers coming from a pro post-modernism angle, which is probably my standpoint, even after watching you give some fab points against. As an artist myself, I really enjoy the wildness of Memphis interior design but you totally make a point that it is not form follows function… I like the idea of this bridging of art and design and post-modernism seems to do just that.
I think modernist spaces are sleek and sexy, and designed for function but at the same time, the opposite is just fun and playful, and who doesn’t want that?!
I am a big fan of Nathalie Du Pasquier, who started out designing crazy decorative designs for Memphis in the 80s but isn’t it quite ironic (or not) that she now primarily makes paintings…
Super interesting discussion, and you got me to chime up in the comments, so you must be doing something right! Keep on making excellent interiors vids sir!
As someone in his 50's, just be aware that tastes change. What you like in early adulthood will probably morph into something different or even the opposite.
Post-Modernism was my favorite architectural and interior style for decades, eventually giving way to warm Minimalism and Japandi by my mid-30's. I never went through a Modern and Mid-century Modern phase, I always found them compromised.
This was very interesting to watch/listen to, as I’m someone who falls on the love/hate side of things when it comes to postmodernist architecture and interiors. I feel like it was a logical response to the fatigue experienced after decades of modernist rule, and there are plenty of postmodern spaces that I find either beautiful, intriguing, or both. That being said, there are just as many if not more postmodernist creations that I find hideous, and I feel there is no other style that evokes such a strong divide in me in my perception of it.
“A thoughtless sculpture draped over a building”, well-said, Noah! That’s exactly it. I loathe those Gehry buildings - also definitely NOT good Feng Shui! I agree with your views here. I see Post-Modern Architecture as coming from the ego-mind, rather than the spiritual-mind. It creates chaos rather than harmony in any environment, and it’s about as far from nature as we could ever get, which is destabilising for the human mind and heart.
During the 90's in Brazil, a LOT of famous kids TV shows had a post-modern sets, with a lot of saturated colors and weird geometry objects. I don't know if in other countries they had these same aesthetics, but here post-modern stuff just reads as childish because of these shows
You never miss!!!
i appreciate how educational this video was. i definitely think art and design are both subjective, so there isnt "right" or "wrong" way to look at it. your videos got me hooked good on the Mid Century Modern style, but i also like elements from the Postmodern design like playfulness and graphic element. Def agree that most of the architecture is just bad and obnoxious.
Learnt so much!
I'm a graphic and web designer and I'm horrified at the idea of postmodernism. However, I'm open to the idea of a postmodern aesthetic if the design performs its intended function. I don't think there is anything wrong with the postmodern look per se. But I'm thinking as a graphic and web designer. I'd like to know what you what you think.
i saw the title and thought "aw what a shame, i like post modern" and finished the video with a new appreciation for modernism. i think i still like both but the whole idea of rejecting human centered design is, like you said, giving me the ick!
See, I don't think postmodernism rejects human centered design. It is still designed by humans, for humans. Granted, it might not be designed to be comfortable for human *bodies* but it is designed to be interacted with by human minds. Maybe that's part of the philosophy: we are more than just bodies.
@@craftyluna6381 human centered design in architecture and design means relating to the proportions of the human body though.
@@GerlindeGronow Ah, ok, gotcha.
@@craftyluna6381every building is designed by humans and for humans because we are humans.
I’m so early I love it here
I think assuming it’s the wife squeezing lemons and her mother-in-law in the kitchen with her (while the men do what exactly?) is kinda sexist and makes me hate the lemon juicer without any other reason needed.
i love postmodern design. i love patterns, color, and whimsy, so it touches my heart in the right way :)
The kettle designed by Starck can't even pour out the hot water without spilling it everywhere. 😅
Is this a window in the new apartment?? 👀
Would you call verner panton post modernist?
No, his style is space age modernism
"immature reaction " - I largely agree with you! I hate what I call Toytown buildings. Spheres plonked on top of blocks on top of stripy bits - like a kid manically mashing Duplo blocks together. I love modernism very much, and yes, it can take itself a bit seriously, and I like post-modernism's tendency to reach for colour, or to be playful... but myyyyyyyyy god it's done badly so often. In other forms of design I tend more toward maximalism, but I love the elegant and very human, organic frame that good modern architecture & design provides for living. By contrast, postmodern architecture & design can feel like junk food. I do not need a lot of it and ugh I don't want to live in it. I would always choose a beautifully proportioned and structured modern building over a punky postmodern building.
(I do love the Museum of Pop Culture though, it always makes me smile when I go through it on the monorail and you get the sunlight glinting all those beautiful metallic curves.)
This was very thoughtful
I loved this video (and all your videos I've seen.) But I really don't think that MCM design is all about form following function. For example, the beautiful chairs and furniture by Charles and Ray seem to have been designed for extremely short people, all of whom are able to do a sit up and get up off the ground with no hands or help at all. In contrast, my 90s wood/gray upholstery dining chairs (Finn by Lignet Roset) and 80s black lacquer/black leather occasional chairs (Calligaris) are comfortable, fit the human body, and are standard 18" floor to seat height. I love to look at modern furniture in vintage stores or DWR, but actually sitting in that furniture is another thing. I wish Herman Miller or DWR would start making enlarged replicas of MCM furniture. Anyway, sorry for this contrarian post, because the video was about architecture and you were spot on.
Not me clocking the condo in the Castro, San Francisco on Market and Noe at the 3:56 mark...
I like your video essay. I don't think John Outram is in the same category as Venturi. His opposition to modernism was to make the colour entransic value of material (rather than paint, he used coloured mortar and concrete) and decor was functional part of architecture... So I would not put him next to Venturi's faux windows and Rossi's colourful weird places etc.
Thank you for the video. Took me back to school and era of intensive architecture learning :)
and up pops my favorite Michael Graves building lol 😭
Good points! Pomo being reactionary isn’t something I’d thought of, but it just doesn’t *build* anything off of modernism. Maybe it’s better thought of as “antimodernism” in the context of architecture/design. I still think it’s fun, but in an anthropological way, like, why do people like the Cheesecake Factory (or Las Vegas, but I repeat myself)?
You're so relaxing 😂 😊