To be Modern is not a Fashion, it is a state. It is necessary to understand History, and he who understands History knows how to find continuity between that which was, that which is and that which will be.
Combining ancient and modern is not new. Throughout History, whether through inheritance or acquisition, people have adapted existing buildings and incorporated objects from previous generations and different cultures to create comfortable, individual and at times fashionable homes.
Roman Magistrate's chair served as an inspiration to Mies Van der Rohe's Barcelona Chair Design
The co-existence and balance of ancient and modern is an important theme in our culture and our day to day lives. Ancient forms and concepts are apparent in architecture, design and fashion, from a dome or arch to a pair of denim jeans. Such forms appear as recurring templates or they can inspire reinventions, for instance a stella or Roman Magistrate’s stool was the inspiration for Meis Vander Rohe’s Barcelona chair.
Mies Vander Rohe's Barcelona Chair Design
At the start of the 20th century, however, modern was a clear-cut concept: it was a rejection of everything from previous centuries. In design terms, the machine age began around 1910, within 20 years the concept of contemporary home had changed significantly. For example, by 1940s appliances and consumer goods such as refrigerators and vacuum cleaners were commonplace throughout the USA and Western Europe.
During the 20th century, design progressed from the radical vision of the modernist movement in the 1930s to the domestic retail revolution of Habitat with its colourful dispensable sofas in 1960s and finally to the minimalist contemporary homes created at the end of the century.
All were different and all were modern. And while technology may have transformed living spaces in many ways – from the low maintenance, eco-friendly materials used in contemporary homes, to shopping on the internet, deflating plastic chairs to fit our body shapes.
Tate Modern, Central London
Today combining ancient and modern has become important from an ecological point of view, as regenerating and reinventing existing buildings helps to preserve precious resources. Ancient and modern dynamics has been used in High profile building like the Tate Modern, by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron, where they reinvented a party redundant industrial building to create a space for exhibiting large scale installations.
Tate modern Interior, Central London
In Paris, the pyramid by I.M.Pei, rising in the centre of the Louvre is a symbol of creative bravado. The transparent structure, with a fountain and three smaller pyramids in the court, underlines the symmetry of the former 13th century palace.
In Japan, following the revolutionary deconstruction fashion of Rei kawakubo of Comme des Garcon, the fabric technology of Issey Miyake, designs from a new generation that is looking to reconnect with ancient traditions include contemporary T-shirts with pockets made from fragments of antique silk kimonos.
Louvre Pyramid, Paris
All these cultural development are inspiring examples of how old and new can be interpreted and combined. They demonstrate the strength and relevance of an ancient and modern aesthetic as a response to the big issue of 21st century; the best possible use of available and valuable resources; and possibly the biggest issue of all – creating aesthetically and cultural rich environments.
Architecture Student Blog Archives and Search
Related posts:
- Origin of the Italian Garden Style | Influence on Modern Landscape Architecture Italian Garden Architecture is another style that evolved after the Persian Gardening Style… This added another element of interest in the “Development of the Modern Garden Architecture”. The possibility of...
- Le Corbusier | Legendary Trendsetter of Modern Architecture “Architecture is the play of forms under light.” Charles Edouard Jeanneret was born at La Chaux de Fonds on October 6, 1887 and later adopted the pseudonym Le Corbusier. He...
- Important Projects of Le Corbusier | Modern Architecture Exemplified Le Corbuier was an architect, painter and a philosopher. He became a powerful thinker of new urban theories and propounded a bold, modern architecture. In 1951, he was appointed Architectural Adviser...
- Development of the Modern Garden | Landscape Architecture Our present set of ideas as to what constitutes a garden has long roots back into history. As far as we know gardening started quite independently in two different places...
- Architectural Styles | Evolution of Architecture Journey from Ancient Architecture to Modern Architecture Egyptian Architecture (3000BC – 100AD) Ancient Egyptian Architecture is mainly based on religious monuments, massive structures with extensive carvings of gods, goddesses, pictorial...