Posted by Paul Malo on April 12, 2002 at 07:51:26:In Reply to: High Tech + Late Modernism posted by LIU on April 12, 2002 at 04:27:15:
"High Tech" is a development of late Modernism which celebrates technical innovation and finesse. It's a continuation of that aspect of Modernism that used to be called "structural exhibitionism," which is the intent to astonish the viewer by unprecedented daring in sturctural form, or at least to elicit admiration for structure for its own sake. There was, you recall, also the intent of early Modern architecture to call attention to industrial components. The Bauhaus was "high tech" in this sense, with its repetitive, mass-produced glazing.
An architect like Foster demonstrates great skill and taste in refining technically proficient works. In any art, however, technique is but one aspect of aesthetic value--and often becomes counterproductive when pursued for its own sake. Some high-tech work seems polished but arid--form without content.
The "content" or meaning of the high-tech aesthetic had been a progressive ideal, optimistically conveying a future made better because of technology. Much of that futuristic romance has worn off now, when technology has become commonplace.
My own view is that architecture today requires more than technical finesse. It needs something to say, rather than continuing to focus on how to say it. But if we have something to say, we need a language adequate to convey that meaning. The current high-tech language is too restricted in its vocabulary and syntax to say much.
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