ABSTRACT
Chapter 5 revisits the familiar origins of deconstructivist architecture in Russian constructivism and French critical theory, specifically the philosophy of Jacques Derrida. At the Museum of Modern Art’s 1988 exhibition, curators Philip Johnson and Mark Wigley set the stage for an understanding of deconstructivist architecture that transcended poststructuralist philosophy. Even Eisenman’s Wexner Center demonstrated how pragmatic requirements aggravated the polarizing debates around Derridean ideas. Parametric and computational designs of the 1990s relied on deconstructivist concepts as the historical foundation for abstract, self-referential projects that embraced complex geometries. Even contemporary buildings representing neomodern attitudes attempt to reverse the traditional conventions of function, skin, and structure. Organic silhouettes of research centers, skyscrapers, and stadiums continue to push deconstructivist thinking into the domain of digital fabrication as a contentious conduit for form and ornamentation.
