Deconstruction

Deconstruction, as I understand it, is the process of breaking down the familiar in order to reveal subtler meanings hidden behind the face value of the original content. These subtleties may reside behind text or more abstract imagery – three or two dimensionally. The most succinct definition I can provide for Deconstructionism is: an attempt to break apart the easily understood or recognizable, such that we can dissect less overt meanings that are often masked or overlooked.

The otherwise simple or “understood” are challenged through stimulating or even jarring visuals. Reoccurring patterns in deconstructionist art are: a complex hierarchy with a variety of typefaces and images that overlap. The use of dimensionality and clever word play are also particularly common. Sometimes rendering the text unreadable without strenuous effort from the viewer. In doing so the art doesn’t permit you to approach its content with stereotypes or generalization. You are forced to interact with the content to experience it at all.

The best example I could find, that closely related to my definition was of this distorted chair. This piece is by Robbie Rowlands and is one of many he created from a series of abandoned buildings about to be destroyed. While it may not completely adhere to some of the reoccurring patterns I listed above, at its heart I think it captures what Deconstruction seeks to achieve on a regular basis. The contortion and manipulated shape of the chair distracts the viewer from its most basic and understood shape. In a sense it intellectualizes “the chair” by breaking it down. As the viewer you are forced to interact with and re-experience “the chair” aesthetically and through that engagement reach a higher understanding.