The Machine And Modern Architecture

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Recommended: Critical discussion of modernism

Central to the modernist dreams of a new utopia and a futuristic world was the idea of technology, represented in word and image by ‘the machine’. The Modernist designers and artists saw the mechanisation and rationalisation of life as a key objective of a new society and this inspired the architecture. The belief that machine based mass production would mean a better world and the artists would apply this ideology to the production of art to the designing of kitchens. The machine challenged design and the period was one of experimentation and invention. The new world of machines forced artists to develop new thoughts about their environment and this revolutionised the way the public participated in this new world. The modern designers insisted that they followed no style as it was a new perception towards architecture, with a fresh approach to space and time. The machine was valued for its helpful qualities. Its aesthetic was promoted by those who saw a beauty in the machine in regards to its appearance and function. The arrival of the machine was to have such revolutionary significance that the following years can be termed the machine age. Among the many changes that occurred in this new era was the installation of a machine aesthetic in the field of architecture. This was central importance to the modern movement as it provided a means by which its practitioners could engage with what they regarded as the spirit of the time. The machine aesthetic can be noted in the work of each major figure of the modernist pantheon. The modern style used the look of the machine ornamentally. It was used as a decorative feature, and its machine aesthetic served to conceal the inner workings of the object while calling attention to itse... ... middle of paper ... ...te. This was all part of the beauty of the machine industry where the structural elements were designed and manufactured to please the eye yet remain faithful to the machine age. The Deutscher Werkbund remained on a precarious border between the individuals that formed the group. The Werkbund always included men of different, even opposed tendencies. Some believed that The Machine was the only way forward and others that were close to the group like Adolf Loos felt the Werkbund were superfluous and that no group could make any difference to the introduction of the machine. Other believed that the merging of the machine and achieving both mechanization as well as beauty at the same time was the way forward. The Werkbund realised that the only way to overcome the evils of the industrial production was by cooperating with industry instead of returning to handicraft.

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