Customer Reviews

Chora L Works: Jacques Derrida and Peter Eisenman

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Yes, Peter Eisenman is quite a fool, as the other reviewers' remarks make aptly clear. He does not measure up to Hadid or Libeskind, two architects among many others in an especially stong contemporary field who vie for 'best project' in serious international competitions. No, do not buy this book because of Eisenman -- any more than you would buy any other book because it had his name on it.

But this book was not, thank God, written by one person, which is perhaps why the other reviewers fail to notice what's so special about it. The significant essays in this book are by Jacques Derrida, and what's more they give very elegant, fine philosophical answers to difficult questions that have motivated Derrida's thought since the 60s -- but until this book came out one could only guess at the fuller technical philosophical context of Derrida's thought in, say, Of Grammatology. So skip Eisenman - as even Derrida was forced to do and end his relation with Eisenman shortly after this book came out, when he became irritated with the man's complete vacuousness and inability to comprehend anything remotely theoretical.

In short, strip it of Eisenman, discard the punch-card ballot box look (apparently the publisher is located in Florida?), and take the Derrida. You'll be glad you did. The book merits 5 stars without the BS, but gets about 3 stars due to the cluttered context.

It is strange that a book dedicated to present deconstruction and chora actually "plays" of representing it. Derrida's reading on plato's chora is indeed relevant to architecture. It is not an easy reading, which is typical of many of derrida's writings. Unfortunately, this book becomes yet more difficult to read with this "funny" perfurated edition. Different from Deconstruction, it is not an easy task to interpret the meaning of those holes. They are certainly dispensable.

OK. So we all know that Eisenman is architecture's biggest fool, and it is easy to add to the lore of humor about this intellectually pathetic nincompoop, but if you had any doubts about how much of a con-man he really is, this book will dispel such lingering thoughts. Firstly, you have to see past the incredible arrogance of publishing a work that is perforated with holes, eliminating any effective opportunity to read the pages. Eisenman apologists (mostly gullible students, or intellectual wannabe's), will make the most infantile claims about this gimmick, citing it as 'challenging', transgressive' and all the other predictable buzzwords used to justify the rubbish that is written in the name of critical discourse today. Bear in mind too, that Jacques Derrida abandoned all communication with Eisenman when he eventually realised that Eisenman really had nothing of interest to add to contemporary theoretical debate, and admitted that this collaboration was a professional embarrassment. - In truth, the small holes may be the only worthwhile part of this otherwise ridiculous book.

Unfortunately, I had to trawl through a good number of his 'books' for a school project. Among them are House of Cards, Diagram Diaries, Barefoot on White-Hot Walls, Giuseppe Terragni, and Eisenman Insideout. They are all terribly self-involved with his semiotic and 'metaphysics' babble. It is only by beholding the vast amount of twaddle he has generated, that I am convinced he truly believes in all this. Despite the painful reading sessions, I think we should simply lie back and feel sorry for him.

As Jacques Derrida becomes more discredited every day, (French intellectuals are rushing to distance themselves from his now seen-to-be-absurd positions) you have to wonder can Eisenman's inevitable fall from the pedestal of fad popularity be far behind. This impossibly arrogant book has all of it's pages punctured by small holes that make a reading impossible. For Eisenman, this childish gimmick, must seem amusing, albeit in a trite, predictable sort of way. But that sort of pride comes with a price. But even Derrida, low as his standards were soon found to be, discontinued further exchanges with Eisenman. As the architectural community likewise finds Eisenman to be the embarrassing soul he always was, you don't want to be one of the few left with this ridiculous volume on your shelf.

Quite possibly the dumbest book about architecture (or non architecture to be more precise), if not the dumbest book about anything - EVER.

Eisenman is, in the words of British Aesthetic Philoshopher, Roger Scruton, "a pretentious twit". This book, with its gimicky perforated pages, has more holes than Eisenman's logic. But, hey, if you want to seem pretentious and quasi intellectual, then maybe this might be the book for you. If you want to learn something about architecture, then try looking at the work of a real architect. But give this a wide berth. Until Eisenman produces a work of merit, he's fooling no one but himself and the few insecure "intellectuals" who don't really rate in smart society.

I gave this one star because the rating system does not permit 0 stars, the correct rating for the book. Eisenman, not to put too fine a point on it, is a fool. Sadly, he is a fool who influences the education of many impressionable students taken in by obscure writing. ("If we don't understand it, it must be complicated, and therefore great.")

It's time someone exposed this jackass for the nincompoop he really is. - Don't waste your money on this one.