Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-1990
V&A, London, September 24th to January 8th.
Postmodernism has more in common with modernism than it might like to admit: they both divide people. Hard to take in large doses and contentious by nature, it’s a risky subject. But beneath the brash exterior is something worth exploring – a blend of swagger, irony and rebellion. Style with attitude.
The V&A’s “Postmodernism: Style and Subversion 1970-1990”, four years in the making, claims to be the first in-depth survey of its kind. It will show how what started as a dynamic architectural movement (Piazza d’Italia, 1976-79, New Orleans, Charles Moore & Urban Innovations Group) went on to shape all areas of pop-culture.
What it won’t offer is an easy definition. “It would be irresponsible to try and give one,” says Glenn Adamson, the co-curator. Really? “There’s lots of fight-picking going on in the postmodern world and we didn’t want to indulge.” Adamson talked to Charles Jencks, the American architectural theorist who first coined the term, and decided not to wrestle with the man in the driving seat: “he’s so effective at labeling people.”
Jencks is not here, but 250 objects on display are including Judith Grinberg’s 6ft presentation drawing for Philip Johnson’s AT&T Building in New York, the most notorious example of postmodern architecture. The original drawing is one of several acquisitions made for this show. There are also record sleeves by Peter Saville, including the one for New Order’s “Power, Corruption & Lies” – no moody black-and- white photo, but a 19th-century still from Henri Fantin-Latour, the ultimate postmodern joke. It joins Grace Jones’s unearthly maternity dress and Martine Bedin’s lamp on wheels.
The moral seems to be that there isn’t one. A reaction against intense regulation, PoMo had no rules. The show ends with New Order again, the “Bizarre Love Triangle” video. The message is clear. Just dance.
From Intelligent Life Magazine, September/October 2011
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