Deconstructivism.

The central ideas of Deconstructivism are:

-       fragmentation

-       manipulating a structures surface or skin

-       and stimulating unpredictability & controlled chaos.

The definition of Decontructivism and its ideological foundation are a little hard to explain so bear with me here; once its over we will all be better for it. Deconstruction Stems from a form of semiotic analysis (for more info look up the work ok French philosopher Jacques Derrida) Deconstruction, as used in this project, centres on understanding, value and meaning, in relation to binary opposition (a pair of theoretical binaries; one is the absence of the other e.g. internal external, up down, light dark) (Dictionary.com 16/9/12). To do this, Deconstructivists deconstruct binary oppositions. The relationship between Binary oppositions, deconstructivists believe, is what gives meaning; in text language, art, architecture  etc. The aim of deconstruction is to analyse and criticize the binary oppositions, in order to discover their effect on meaning in discourse. Deconstructivism aims to highlight the differences and eternal interplay between binary oppositions through creation of new concepts; this is what I hope to achieve.

Allot of Deconstructive architecture is an exploration of radical formalism; in response, I guess, to traditional notions of built form and its geometry. However, this will not be the focus of my exploration. Rather I will be looking into the relationships between binary oppositions in special qualities of Built form.  For example how an interior space is defined by its interaction with an exterior and how a certain material quality is defined by its absence of another e.g solid and void.

Peter Eisenman , House IV, Falls Village, Connecticut, 1971 

 www.laboratorio1.unict.it. viewed 19/9/12

Whilst Peter Eisenman and Frank Gehry are two of my favourite architects, this is not, consciously, influencing my constructivist response to this assignment. Rather, I feel, when dealing with an existing building and endeavouring to re write its discourse it is important to understand where the existing and the proposed correlate as well as deviate and how traditional ‘form follows function’ relationships can be reinvented and literalised.