03. Jason Payne's "Hair and Makeup"

Jason Payne studies past trends in rock and roll regarding the use of the superficial that parallel recent trends in architecture. A gradual shift
from the 'hardcore' to the 'softcore'; in rock, the guitar technique of
Jimi Hendrix gives way to the glamour of David Bowie; in the 80s, British
heavy metal gives way to hair centric L.A. pop metal, etc; in
architecture, the sort of formal rigor exemplified by the New York Five is
worn down over time. "terms like process, technique, iterative,
generative, and so on - now give way to a decidedly friendlier bunch:
mood, atmosphere, sensibility, color, sensation, feel..."
It would seem that moments of intellectual intensity are doomed
(destined?) to eventually give way to the superficial, and that what is
sensory is ultimately what is important in a movement. Perhaps it is a
balancing act. When softcore becomes too soft (insubstantial,
unmeaningful.. irrelevant?) a new hardcore, a new school of rigor arises,
and the movements are actually cyclical.