traightjackets. The architecture critic Martin Filler notes that “Postmodernism came nowhere close in quality to Modernism at its apogee, not least because that later style wholly lacked the social impetus that animated the designs most emblematic of the Modern Movement.”. The primary criticism of Postmodernism stems from its apparent vacuousness and lack of a coherent underpinning principle. In some ways, anything could be called Postmodern.
“This is the postmodern desert inhabited by people who are, in effect, consuming themselves in the form of images and abstractions through which their desires, sense of identity, and memories are replicated and then sold back to them as products” - Larry McCaffrey
But beyond criticism of its social impact and lack of apparent cohesion lies a more fundamental criticism of Postmodernism. If Classical Victorian design prioritized ornamentation over practicality, Modernism reduced form to its core functional elements and Postmodernism elevates style to the same level as functionality, can a distinctive new style ever truly emerge in the future? Is Postmodernism the twilight zone for the evolution of design where form and functionality have converged to enable multiple interpretations? And in the myriad abstract shapes and forms of Postmodernism can everything said to be Postmodern thus negating the philosophical foundation of any future trend? It will take a true design icon to emerge from the philosophical vortex of Postmodernism and assert a new path.