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bauhaus>
OntheCurrentVal ueofthe
Functi onal i stIdea
AsgerJorn
1956
TranslatedbyThomasY.Levin
Thelastfewyearshavewitnessedanevergrowingdissatisfactionwith
rationalistideasoffunctionalism.Onespeaksincreasinglyofarevolution
againstitsunsupportableconstraints,andthisrevolutionseemsinevitableand
obvious.Butbeforethrowingeverythingontothescrapheap,itisworth
reflectingonthenatureofatruerevolution,becausethelattercannotcomeinto
beingbydestroyingthingswillynilly.
Wemustpreservewhattousseemsworkablewithintheheritageof
functionalism.Assoonasthelattersetitselfagainsttheoldclassicism,it
proclaimedthat"thehouseisamachineforlivingin,""thekitchenisamachine
forfeeding,"etc.Theseargumentstriumphedbyvirtueoftheirindubitabletruth.
Thefunctionalistsmadearationalanalysisofstructureanditsfunctionsthey
reducedformtoitsmosteconomicaspectforthesatisfactionofourneeds.
Thus,theycreatedahithertounknownunderstandingoftheobjectandthe
implement.Overandabovethisobjectivefunctionalism,theyaspiredtoa
humanistanalysisofthesocialandethicalfunctionsofourenvironment,withits
unfoldingonademocraticbase,underpinnedbya"conceptofurbanism"that
ordainsman'srighttoadomicilethatensureshimasalubriousandcalm
existence.
Inlayingthefoundationsofanirrationalarchitecture,itwouldbeinconceivable
toomitthesevitallyimportantfacts.Itiseasyanddoubtlessamusingtocreate
newideasinoppositiontooldones,butcultureistheoppositeofthis:itisthe
elaborationandcontinuoustransformationofalreadyexistingpheenomena.
Thefunctionalistslogancanalwaysbeofusetous.Usefulnessandfunction
remainthepointofdepartureforanyformalcritiqueitissimplyaquestionof
transformingthefunctionalistprogram.Itisalwaysworthwhiletotrytoarriveat
themosteffectiveresultbytheeconomicmeans.Butifweagreedonthispoint,
whythendoweclaimtobedissatisfiedwithfunctionalsim?Itisbecauseofits
aesthetic,whichneversoughttoregardtheaestheticaspectasanautonomous
functionofhumanactivity.Aestheticsis"thescienceofthebeautifulandthe
ugly."FollowingPlatonism,thefunctionalistscontrivedtodenytheautonomous
existenceofbeautybysayingthat"whatistrueandgoodisalwaysbeautiful":
namely,thatlogicandethicshavebeautyalreadybuiltintothem.
Bydintofthisfalsenotion,theyconstructedanaetheticideathatconsistsinthe
constructivistideaandinseeingtheoutsideoftheobjectasareflectionofthe
practicalfunctionsofitsinside.Nevertheless,theseanalysesofusefulnessand
necessity,which,accordingtotheirlights,mustbethebasisfortheconstruction
ofanyobjectcreatedbyman,areimmediatelyrenderedridiculousifone
analyzesallobjectsmanufacturedtoday.Aforkorabedcannotcometobe
consideredasnecessaryforthelifeandhealthofmanandstillretainarelative
value.
10/11/2014 Situationist International Online
http://www.cddc.vt.edu/sionline/presitu/functionalist.html 2/2
Itisaquestionof"acquirednecessities."Modernmanissmotheredinthese
necessitiesthetelevision,thefridge,etc.thatrenderhimincapableof
livinghisreallife.Obviously,wearenotopposedtomoderntechnology,butwe
areagainstanyideaoftheabsolutenecessityofobjects,goingsofarasto
doubttheireffectiveusefulness.
Moreover,thefunctionalistsignorethepsychologicalfunctionofthe
environment.Justascoffeehasnovalueforthehealthofmanbutonlya
psychologicalandsensoryimportance,sothesightoftheoutsideofthe
buildingsandobjectsthatsurroundusandthatweusehasafunction
independentoftheirpracticalusefulness.Theoutsideofahouseoughtnotto
reflecttheinsidebutconstituteasourceofpoeticsensationfortheobserver.