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Rethinking Deconstructivist Architecture with Gilles Deleuze’s Fold Theory: Focused on Frank O. Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, and Peter Eisenman

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ABSTRACT

Deconstructivist Architecture is a trend of architecture that has a striking contrast to Modernist Architecture which represents clarity and perfection. Deconstructivist Architecture combines heterogeneous elements and is characterized by the induction of instability through physical tilting and distortion. Deconstructivist Architecture became a global trend in the 1980s. The term, ‘Deconstructivist Architecture’ was first used in an exhibition ‘Deconstructivist Architecture’ at the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1988. The curator of this exhibition, Mark Wigley, related Deconstructivist Architecture to the Russian Constructivism which is known to break the traditional composition of architecture using asymmetrical geometry. He created the term ‘deconstructivist’ by adding the prefix ‘de-’ to ‘constructivist’ to imply that Deconstructivist Architecture drew from Constructivism, yet constituted a radical deviation from it. Contrary to his argument, however, many architectural theorists considered that Deconstructivist Architecture derived from Jacques Derrida’s philosophy known as ‘Deconstruction’. The opinions introduced above accurately explained some parts of the traits of Deconstructivist Architecture, however Mary McLeod contended that these views could only be restrictively applied to few of the architects among the seven architects who attended the Deconstructivist Architecture exhibition. Furthermore, due to Deconstructivist architects shifting to a new trend of architecture called ‘Folding Architecture’ in the 1990s, a new theory was needed to read the works of Deconstructivist Architecture. In this thesis, I tried to look into the new architectural trend of Deconstructivist architecture through Gilles Deleuze’s ‘Fold’ theory, concentrating on Frank O. Gehry, Rem Koolhaas, and Peter Eisenman - the three most extremist Deconstructivist architects. The concept of Deleuze, ‘The Fold’, comes from Leibniz’s philosophy which contends that the smallest unit in the World is a fold and not a point, and that it is categorized into ‘the pleats of matter’ and ‘the folds in the soul’. Folds of a surface wall of a cave, origami and waves of water are examples of the pleats of matter that is visible. On the other hand, ‘the folds in the soul’ are those that are not visible-the folds that are inherent but not seen until they actually unfold. I have remarked that when these folds (‘pleats of matter’ and ‘folds in the soul’) appear in spatial environment they translated into organic space, space of ‘event’, and ‘affective’ space. Gehry’s designs such as ‘bentwood furniture’ and the ‘Guggenheim Museum’ in Bilbao are representations of ‘organic’ space, where the concept emerges from curvilinear, harmonious and inseparable forms. Koolhaas’ design concept of the ‘Seattle Public Library’ and the ‘House in Bordeaux’ is to create an indeterminable space by leaving the space changeable and/or empty. This can give rise to unpredictable ‘events’ in architecture. Eisenman’s project like ‘Alteka Office Building’ is architecture in movement. The concept is to create an ‘affective space’ rather than to pursue an effective space. The affective space can not be seen through a perspective view, but it can only be perceived through a different sense ‘the aura’. In summary, the works of the Deconstructivist architects, Gehry, Koolhaas and Eisenman, in post 1990 are architectural works that are based on the concept of infinitely continuous folds rather than the concept of separable points. Deleuze’s concept of visible and invisible folds can be seen in these specific works as organic space, space of ‘event’ and ‘affective’ space. The new approach analysis of the Deconstrutivists Architecture proposed in thesis allowed the reinterpretation of ‘Folding Architecture’, once treated separately, in relation to the Deconstructivists Architecture. Furthermore, the significance of this thesis is the provision of a somewhat more diverse interpretation field by escaping from the fragmented point of view regarding Deconstrutivists architects and their respective works.

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