OUGD401 Context of Practice Lecture: Postmodernism and Postmodernity

This lecture focusses on how postmodernism came about as a reaction to Modernism and the ideals and especially tone of voice can clearly sign post Postmodernist design and art. The strict rules and regulations of Modernism became reviled by those who followed the Postmodernist Movement. They were critiques of the international style and disliked rules of any kind. they celebrated the Kitsch and sought out complexity and chaos.
Postmodernism gave birth to bricolarge which is a miss mash of styles and aesthetics which come together to create something new and chaotic. An attitude of questioning conventions was adopted as was the practice of double coding, which means they took inspiration from a number of different historical styles creating strong juxtapositions. 


This thematic or conceptual juxtaposition is a sign post of a postmodernist design, done in such a way as to create heavy irony, often aimed at a political or social message. Another sign post is a mix or mess of things (bricolarge) advocated by Robert Venturi:

‘I like elements which are hybrid rather than “pure”, compromising rather than “clean”, distorted rather than “straight-forward”, ambiguous rather than “articulated”, perverse as well as impersonal….’ This idea is embodied by modern day Las Vegas. 


The honesty and enjoyment of the tacky is at the forefront of this design.

Often modernist designs were 'ornamented' just to challenge and break the rules made by the previous movement. The top section of this building goes against all modernist beliefs. 

Philip Johnson, Sony Plaza (former AT&T Building), New York, 1978 - 84

Finding the basic and making it beautiful or iconic also was a way people challenged the conventions of what art and design is believed to be.

Andy Warhol, Campbell’s Soup Cans, 1962

David Carson, Don’t mistake legibility for communication

One of the most sacred of the modernist disciplines was typography and this is an example of someone challenging the rules of the transparent typography and saying that the ethers themselves and the way they are put together can aid the overall communication.

Overall the critical, strategic, rhetorical devices and practices used by postmodernist artists and designers created a distinctly confrontational and ironic tone of voice.