The complication with the term ‘High Tech’ is that the term means something completely different today in comparison to when it was first coined.
High Tech architects believe that the building should be a clear expression of its structure, function, program and construction system. High Tech architecture is characterised by flexibility and light-weight construction… – Michael J. Ostwald in Movements in Twentieth Century Architecture
These days, it seems ‘high tech’ means to use technology to create the appearance of illusion in design. When you look for examples of recent ‘high tech’ furniture you find things like this:
This more recent version of high-tech appeals more to my ideology of manipulating technology and pushing the boundaries of the imagination. However, this may in fact be more closely matched to Futurism or the more recently coined Neo-Futurist movement. An interesting character on this topic is Daniel Schinasi:
Despite the visible dynamism expressed in both styles, Futurism and Neofuturism view the World differently. Indeed, the futuristic modernism was built on uncompromising dogma, machinery and means of transport as a quick myth. Neofuturism delivers the world where the human being remains intact and can become an essay. It promotes the idea that the man, who moves frantically in this society of consumption, can find himself on a slippery slope. – Daniel Schinasi.
Perhaps, as Neo-Futurism isn’t a topic within the movements of the 1900’s, I will explore the movement of Futurism in relation to the 21st Century context as a study for the history of design.
envyaus 