HARTAIXX2016-V014300
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the relationship between architecture and language, highlighting the influence of 20th-century linguistic theory on architectural interpretation. It discusses Saussure's theory of the sign, emphasizing the arbitrary relationship between signifier and signified, and explores the connotative levels of meaning as expanded by Roland Barthes. The script further examines Charles Sanders Peirce's modes of significationβsymbol, index, and iconβwith a focus on the diagrammatic quality of Peter Eisenman's Holocaust Memorial, which abstractly represents the systematic atrocities of National Socialism.
Takeaways
- ποΈ The relationship between architecture and language has a rich history, and the 20th century saw a significant focus on how linguistic theory could interpret architecture.
- π£οΈ Ferdinand de Saussure's theory of the sign is foundational in architectural theory, emphasizing the arbitrary relationship between the signifier (sound/image) and the signified (concept/idea).
- π Saussure's theory allows for the understanding of signs beyond just linguistic, including graphic and spatial elements, which can refer to something else.
- π Roland Barthes expanded on Saussure's theory by introducing the concept of connotation, where a sign can have additional layers of meaning beyond its literal sense.
- πΌοΈ Barthes used the example of a black soldier saluting the French flag to illustrate how signs can carry ideological messages at different levels of interpretation.
- π Charles Sanders Peirce contributed to sign theory by identifying three modes of signification: the symbolic, which requires consensus; the index, which is a direct trace of an effect; and the icon, which resembles what it represents.
- πΊοΈ Peirce's concept of the 'diagram' as a special kind of icon is particularly relevant to architecture, as it captures the structural relationships of parts within a system.
- π The Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman is suggested to operate as a 'diagram' in Peirce's sense, abstracting the structural relationships of the Holocaust system.
- β³ The operations of abstraction in Eisenman's project, such as repetition, randomness, and the temporal experience, contribute to its diagrammatic representation of the Holocaust.
- π The project's use of a grid, ground, and the erasure of names are specific abstract operations that intensify the memorial's connection to the systematic nature of National Socialism.
- π Understanding Eisenman's Holocaust Memorial through the lens of linguistic and semiotic theory provides a deeper insight into its abstract representation of historical atrocities.
Q & A
What is the relationship between architecture and language that was highlighted in the 20th century?
-In the 20th century, there was a growing interest in treating architecture as a language and using linguistic theory to interpret and understand architectural designs, which became an integral part of architectural theory.
Who is Ferdinand de Saussure and why is he significant in the context of architecture and linguistics?
-Ferdinand de Saussure was a Swiss linguist who lectured on linguistics around the turn of the 20th century. His work, published posthumously by his students, significantly influenced architectural theory through his theory of the sign.
What are the two components of Saussure's theory of the sign?
-The two components of Saussure's theory of the sign are the signifier, which is the sound or image that refers to something, and the signified, which is the concept or idea that the signifier represents.
Why is the relationship between the signifier and the signified considered arbitrary according to Saussure?
-The relationship is considered arbitrary because there is no natural, causal, or functional connection between the signifier, such as the word 'cat', and the signified, the concept of a domesticated animal.
What is semiotics and how does it relate to the concept of the sign?
-Semiotics is the study of signs and symbols and their use or interpretation. It extends the concept of the sign beyond linguistic signifiers to include graphic and spatial elements that can refer to something else.
Who is Roland Barthes and what did he contribute to the theory of the sign?
-Roland Barthes was a French theorist who elaborated on the theory of the sign, particularly focusing on the formal aspect. He introduced the idea that a signified can also function as a signifier, allowing for layers of meaning and connotations.
What is the difference between the literal level and the connotative level in Barthes' interpretation of signs?
-The literal level refers to the direct and stable relationship between the signifier and the signified, while the connotative level involves additional layers of meaning and associations that can be more complex and resonant.
What is an example of how Barthes used the concept of connotation to interpret an image?
-Barthes used the example of a magazine cover featuring a young black soldier saluting the French flag. At the connotative level, he interpreted this as an ideological message about French unity and patriotism, despite criticisms of French colonialism.
Who is Charles Sanders Peirce and what are the three modes of the sign he identified?
-Charles Sanders Peirce was an American linguist who identified three modes of the sign: the symbolic, which requires a conventional understanding; the index, which is a direct trace or effect; and the icon, which resembles what it represents.
What is the difference between an index and a symbol according to Peirce?
-An index is a direct trace or effect of an object and does not require an interpreter to be present, such as a bullet hole indicating a shot. A symbol, on the other hand, requires a conventional understanding and an audience to interpret its meaning, such as a bald eagle representing American spirit.
What is a diagram according to Peirce, and how does it relate to the concept of an icon?
-A diagram is a special kind of icon that captures the structural relationships of the parts of what it represents, rather than just looking like it. It operates not because of its resemblance but because it shows the connections and relationships between elements.
How does the concept of a diagram relate to the Holocaust Memorial project mentioned in the script?
-The Holocaust Memorial project is suggested to operate as a diagram in its status as a sign, capturing the structural relationships and systemic nature of National Socialism that led to the Holocaust, through its operations of abstraction and design elements.
Outlines
ποΈ The Intersection of Architecture and Language
The relationship between architecture and language has a long history. In the 20th century, this interest was intensified as architectural theory began to incorporate linguistic theory to better understand architectural concepts. Ferdinand de Saussure, a Swiss linguist, introduced the theory of the sign, comprising the signifier (sound image) and the signified (concept). He emphasized the arbitrary nature of this relationship, which forms the basis of semiotics. This theory is crucial in analyzing representations, such as the Holocaust Memorial.
π Roland Barthes and the Staggering of Signs
Roland Barthes expanded on Saussure's theory in 1957 with his essay 'Myth Today'. He introduced the idea that a sign can become a signifier for another level of meaning, leading to multiple layers of connotation. Barthes illustrated this with an example from a Parisian magazine cover, where a black soldier saluting the French flag signifies both patriotism and deeper ideological meanings about French colonialism. This theory highlights the complex and resonant nature of signs.
π Charles Sanders Peirce and Modes of Signification
Charles Sanders Peirce further developed the theory of the sign by introducing three modes: the symbolic, the indexical, and the iconic. Symbols rely on collective consensus (e.g., the bald eagle as a symbol of American spirit). Indices are direct traces of effects (e.g., bullet holes as evidence of shooting). Icons resemble their referents (e.g., statues). Peirce's theory emphasizes the material and interpretive aspects of signs, differing from Saussure's purely symbolic approach.
π Diagrammatic Representation in Architecture
Peirce's concept of diagrams, a special type of icon, is used to explain how abstract representations can convey structural relationships. A map is an example of a diagram that shows the relationships between parts of a city. The Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman is argued to function as a diagram. Its abstract operations, such as repetition and scale, create a deep structural relationship to the system of National Socialism and the Holocaust. This interpretation emphasizes the memorial's experiential and temporal qualities.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Architecture and Language
π‘Ferdinand de Saussure
π‘Signifier and Signified
π‘Semiotics
π‘Roland Barthes
π‘Connotation
π‘Charles Sanders Peirce
π‘Symbol
π‘Index
π‘Icon and Diagram
π‘Abstraction
Highlights
The relationship between architecture and language has a rich history, especially in the 20th century, where linguistic theory became integral to architectural theory.
Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure's theory of the sign is a key influence on architectural theory, emphasizing the arbitrary nature of the relationship between the signifier and the signified.
Saussure's theory suggests that the signifier (e.g., the word 'cat') has no natural or causal connection to the signified (the concept of a cat).
Semiotics extends beyond linguistic signifiers to include graphic and spatial signifiers, broadening the concept of what can be considered a sign.
French theorist Roland Barthes introduced the idea that a sign can become a signifier at a different level, such as a black cat symbolizing bad luck beyond its literal meaning.
Barthes' concept of connotation allows for a sign to have multiple layers of meaning, adding complexity to its interpretation.
American linguist Charles Sanders Peirce expanded on Saussure's model by identifying three modes of the sign: symbolic, index, and icon.
A symbolic sign, like the bald eagle representing American spirit, relies on a conventional understanding between the audience and the sign.
An index, such as a bullet hole, is a direct trace or effect of an event and does not require an interpreter to be present to signify its meaning.
An icon is a sign that resembles the thing it represents, like a statue of a soldier, which operates in an iconic mode.
Peirce introduced the concept of a diagram, a special kind of icon that captures the structural relationships of the parts of the thing it represents, like a map.
The Holocaust Memorial by Peter Eisenman is suggested to operate as a diagram, capturing the structural relationship to the system of National Socialism that produced the Holocaust.
Eisenman's project uses operations of abstraction that are particular to its effect, emphasizing the relentlessness and enormity of the Holocaust.
The project's abstraction operations include repetition, randomness, temporal quality, and the scale, contributing to its diagrammatic relationship to the Holocaust.
The namelessness of the victims in the Holocaust Memorial contributes to its abstract quality, avoiding a direct or narrow interpretation.
The deep structure of the abstraction in the Holocaust Memorial is likened to a diagrammatic relationship, reflecting the systemic nature of the event.
Transcripts
you
the thinking about the relationship
between architecture and language
actually has a very
history but in the 20th century the
interest in architecture as a language
and how linguistic theory could help
interpret architecture was focused and
it became a very important part of
architectural theory which we still use
today I think understanding this
linguistic theory can help us further
understand the nature of the abstraction
of the Holocaust Memorial the first is
the Swiss linguist Ferdinand de Saussure
who gave lectures in linguistics right
around the turn of the 20th century in
the first decade of the 20th century and
whose work was published by his students
after he died so sewer is one of the
most important influences on
architectural theory in this regard
because of his theory of the sign in
some ways Sicilian theory of the sign is
is very very simple there are two
components to so sewer sign one is the
signifier the other is the signified the
signifier is just a sound image or it's
graphic equivalent just a acoustical
image that refers to something outside
itself that's something that concept
that idea that condition is called the
signified now there's a lot of slippage
between the signifier and the signified
there's no there's no direct natural
relation there's no causal relation so
sewer said that the relationship between
the signifier say the word cat and the
signified say the concept of cat or the
concept of domesticated animal is
arbitrary there's no natural or causal
or functional connection but it's the
very arbitrariness that that that makes
this theory of the sign so robust we we
now in in semiotics think not just of
linguistic signifiers but we think of
graphic signifiers we think of we think
of spatial signifiers anything that can
refer to something else can be called a
signifier and when we think about the
interaction of a representation
the thing representing and the thing
being represented when we think about
that relationship we're in the realm of
the sign now that the theory of the sign
can be elaborated one of the most
important elaborations really attending
to the formal aspect of the theory of
the sign was made by the French theorist
Roland Bart in 1957 in an essay called
myth today what Bart noticed is that
because of this resonance this this
slipperiness this arbitrariness between
the signifier and the signified that
that a signified or or a sign let's say
if the if the sign is a unit the unit of
signifier and signified that sign can
become another signifier in other words
the very arbitrariness is also a kind of
robustness that makes a signified or
sign also function as a signifier I'll
give an example if at a literal level
the signifier the sound image cat refers
to the concept of the domesticated
animal at another level at a kind of
allegorical or what Roman Bart called a
connotative level a cat a black cat say
can be itself the signifier of bad luck
so the first level the literal level is
a fairly stable relationship but the
second level the level of connotation
can have even more resonance so Bart
imagine this or he sort of diagram this
idea is a staggering of the side and in
principle the sign can keep staggering
and keep referring to greater and
greater and more complex associations
and connotations I'll give you the
example that Roland Bart himself gave of
these two levels once at a barber shop
at a Parisian barber shop he came across
a copy of the magazine parried match
this is sort of like the The Life
Magazine of Paris of the 1950s on the
cover was an image of a young black
soldier dressed in French
army uniform saluting the French flag so
it so an African French soldier dressed
in military uniform now at the literal
level the sign is simply that French
African dressed in French military
uniform salute saluting the treacle or
that's the literal level at the
connotative level Bart says he actually
makes a kind of ideological reading of
the level of connotation which is that
the French African demonstrates to black
and white French people alike
that whatever the unpatriotic criticism
from the far left is about French
occupation of Algiers that friendship
France is a great country whose Patriots
include French Africans as well as white
French so you see at that point at the
level of connotation the associations
and the work of the sign actually
becomes ideological this is not to say
that ideology can't happen at a literal
stage at the first stage there could be
as it were ideology all the way down but
it's what what's interesting about marks
your comment is that is that it's an
understanding of ideology that's based
on the structure of the sign on the form
of the sign not the content so it's not
it's not the particular content of
French occupation of Algiers that Bart
is interested in that's just one example
it's the form that staggered repetitive
form reiterative form that that the sign
can take that he's interested in we come
now to a third moment in the theory of
sign in the work of the American
linguist charles sanders purse purse
thought that there were three distinct
modes to the sign the first mode which
he called the symbolic is really the
only mode that Saucer himself considered
so purse in some way is expanding on
Saussure's model a symbol is a sign that
requires this conventional
consensual understanding of the
signifier signified relationship let's
say the bald eagle is a symbol for
American spirit the bald eagles got
nothing to do directly causally
functionally with American spirit it
just that means that Americans and
others as a kind of collective consensus
agree that bald eagle is going to stand
for is going to represent is going to
signify American spirit so symbol
requires and the symbol to do its work
as a sign requires an audience it
requires an interpreter an interpreter
of some sort either individual or
collective has to be present for the
symbol to operate for the symbol to do
its work of representing the second sign
or mode of signification that purse
refers to he called the index the index
is different from the symbol in a couple
of ways the index is the direct trace of
an effect of one object on another say a
bullet-hole
is an index of the fact that a bullet
has been shot so the bullet hole is an
index and an index unlike a symbol does
not require the interpreter to be
present the bullet hole is an index of a
shot whether or not anyone sees it
smoke is an index of fire whether or not
there's someone there to see and
interpret the smoke the trace of the
index is always a material trace it can
be visible it can be acoustic for
example the knock on the door is an
index of someone at the door but the
unlike a symbol which let's say a statue
of a unicorn which doesn't actually
exist can still be symbolic of unicorns
an index requires a material trace the
final mode of signification or the final
kind of sign for purse is what he called
the icon an icon simply
looks like the thing that it represents
so a statue of a soldier holding a rifle
in a helmet in a uniform looks like a
soldier holding a rifle in the uniform
so that statue does its work as a sign
in an iconic mode what's more
interesting for us is that Perce
recognized that there were special kinds
of icons which didn't just look like the
thing itself but actually captured the
relationship of the parts of the things
so for example a map is a very special
kind of icon a map doesn't look like the
city that it's signifying it is still a
signifier on the city but not because it
looks like the city but because it shows
the structural relationships of the
parts of the city connected by the
different monuments the different plazas
the different buildings connected by a
transportation network
it shows the structural relationship of
its parts this special kind of icon
purse referred to as a diagram so a map
of a city is a special case of icon
which Purse called a diagram a map
operates as a diagram not because it
looks exactly like the city that it's
representing but because it captures the
relationship of the parts of the city I
want to argue that I cements project for
the Holocaust Memorial is also a diagram
or better that in its status as a sign
it operates according to what Perce
called a diagram think again of the
different operations of abstraction the
repetition the event or the temporal
experiential quality of the project the
grid the ground and finally the names of
the erasure of names now these are very
particular operations not every abstract
architecture a piece of abstract art
would necessarily have those same
operations of abstraction they are
abstract operations but they're very
particular in their effect because the
effect that they produce
the relentlessness the repetition the
randomness the temporal quality the
scale the enormity of the scale and the
relentlessness the namelessness of its
victims we don't want to cut this too
narrowly or make this too direct but but
but the effect of those different
operations of abstraction the deep
structure of of that abstraction is as a
diagrammatic relationship to the system
of National Socialism itself at least
insofar as it produced the the Holocaust
the genocide
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