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Once condemned by Modernism and compared to a 'crime' by Adolf Loos, ornament has made a spectacular return in contemporary architecture. This is typified by the works of well-known architects such as Herzog & de Meuron, Sauerbruch Hutton, Farshid Moussavi Architecture and OMA. There is no doubt that these new ornamental tendencies are inseparable from innovations in computer technology. The proliferation of developments in design software has enabled architects to experiment afresh with texture, colour, pattern and topology.
Though inextricably linked with digital tools and culture, Antoine Picon argues that some significant traits in ornament persist from earlier Western architectural traditions. These he defines as the 'subjective' - the human interaction that ornament requires in both its production and its reception - and the political. Contrary to the message conveyed by the founding fathers of modern architecture, traditional ornament was not meant only for pleasure. It conveyed vital information about the designation of buildings as well as about the rank of their owners. As such, it participated in the expression of social values, hierarchies and order. By bringing previous traditions in ornament under scrutiny, Picon makes us question the political issues at stake in today's ornamental revival. What does it tell us about present-day culture? Why are we presently so fearful of meaning in architecture? Could it be that by steering so vehemently away from symbolism, contemporary architecture is evading any explicit contribution to collective values?
Contents
Introduction: Architecture as Ornament? 009
Chapter 1: A Problematic Return 017
The Ornamental Revival in Contemporary Architecture 019
Textures, Patterns and Topology: A Different Ornament 027
The Subjective and the Political 047
Chapter 2: Ornament and Subjectivity 059
The Visage of Architecture 060
The Architect, between Rules and Invention 062
Artists, Craftsmen and the Fabrication of Ornament 073
From Clients to Passers-By 082
Industrialisation and the Ornamental Impulse 090
The Ghost of Ornament 097
Chapter 3: Politics of Ornament 103
From Economics to Politics 103
Communication and Style 106
The Power of Architectural Décor 122
Chapter 4: Reinventing the Meaning of Ornament 129
A New Architectural Subject 129
Political Uncertainties 144
Meaning and Symbols 145
Bibliography 157
Index 163
Picture Credits 167
