"I attended a talk this weekend by a visual artist named Jennifer Rae Forsyth as part of UVic’s Talking Out the Trash conference. She made a long digression into some philosophy I wasn’t familiar with, so this is kind of a guess at what she was talking about:"

"Premodern architecture and industrial design is marked by ornamentation. The classic example is columns on building fronts. Modern architecture and design is minimalist, often leaving flat expanses of material or negative space in between material. The designer intended these spaces remain blank and they create the modern aesthetic. What happens particularly in urban environments is both intentional and unintentional rejection of these modernist designs. "
[MPF] MentalPolyphonics.com » Postmodernization of Design in Urban Space