Vietnam Veterans' Memorial and Postmodernism

Paper Summary:

Modernism is the search for a universality. The break from this search is creatively named postmodernism. Postmodernism is the belief that there is no universal constant and that everything is subject to context. The Vietnam Veterans' Memorial is an example of postmodern architecture. The wall is significant because it is one of the first memorials in this country to break from the modern view of architecture. By using postmodern ideological criticism of the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial, this paper discovers that remembrance is a non-universal act, different for every person.

From the Paper:

"On April 19, 2000 the Oklahoma City Memorial opened to the public. The Memorial was built to remember the tragic events of five years earlier, the bombing of the Alfred P Murrah federal building in downtown Oklahoma City. The memorial was designed by Hans and Torrey Butzer. The Butzers were the winners of a competition pool of over 630 entries. The design for the memorial is based heavily on the postmodern nature of the Butzers' architectural upbringing. The University of Texas at Austin's school of architecture is known for its postmodern views of form and function."

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