What is it to be modern?

Please explain by giving examples from different design fields, social life and popular culture.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by pari on January 29, 2010 at 5:19am

l agree whit jokin and oz..
in culture and religion is has many bad influence.."(in our country )..we are not modern not live in the past ...:(

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by jadranka ahlgren on June 6, 2011 at 6:38am

Modernism is part of art-history now... In architecture, it was tendency to build in concrete, geometrical clear and pour-shaped villas, painted in white, without ornaments, in West Europa 1920, or cheap, but functional and small social dwellings, 1930, and furder...

My favorite architect in this period was Bruno Taut, who escape from Hitler, 1938, lives in Japan where he wrote a famous book about Kacura Palate in Kjoto / Japanese old court palace/... This his book is begining of

module-thinking arch. and minimalism...

That most happened that Frank Loyd Right was reading this Bruno's book and we got minimalism as main stream in modern architecture 1030 till today... But I think it is finished with this poor and geometrical tendency in modernism and now come more and more organic tendention, like how nature construct life mater, most effective and with economy... For this, we need new materials, with more strength...but, they are cumming too

FOR ME, BIG QUESTION IS, WHY WE STEEL ALL THIS CAL MODERNISM... IT S LOOK LIKE THAT MODERNISM ESTABLISHED FOR MINIMUM 1000 OF YEARS / LIKE SOME CIVILIZATION'S TENDENCY LIKE HINDUISM, BUDDHISM ect/ AS OUR TENDENCY TO BUILD MORE EFFECTIVE AND USEFUL IN ARCHITECTURE...

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Neil Rocher on June 28, 2011 at 10:24am

To understand the past, innovate in the present and adapt to the future

▶ Reply

Permalink Reply by Luke on July 12, 2011 at 6:01am

Modern : of, relating to, or characteristic of the present or the immediate past

Understanding the zeitgeist of our time.

To be modern, now, becomes more than movements, trends or fashions.

To be modern now, in our current society, has to transcend the material and focus on the essential.

The name "modern" is one that shifts with every epoch. It becomes a response to society and the needs of it. Modern becomes a fluid entity whose meaning shifts and society does.

So to be modern means not only, as Neil said, understanding the past, but also understanding the present.

Understanding present society and life, then responding to it. That is to be modern.