Between 1973 and 1984, the Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies (IAUS), based in New York City, published a series of twenty-six volumes titled OPPOSITIONS. Its first issue was published in September 1973 and brought together five articles by respected architectural figures, including Cornell University professor of architecture Colin Rowe (1920-1999), architect Peter Eisenman (1932-), Columbia University professor Kenneth Frampton(1930-), architectural historian and critic Anthony Vidler (1941-), Diana Agrest (1945-), who is the first female architecture lecturer since the founding of Princeton University’s School of Architecture, and Mario Gandelsonas (1938-). The volume covers topics such as architectural design methods, architectural criticism, architectural history, utopia, and symbolism along with direct or indirect dialogues with several European architects, including the Italian architectural scholar Manfredo Tafuri (1935-1994).
The meaning of the name OPPOSITIONS is multi fold. In the original idea, the letter “P” with only a border in the cover title allows it to be interpreted simultaneously as “positions”, “oppositions,” and even “0 positions”—an allusion to Roland Barthes’ (1915-1980) view on the “degree zero”—creating new intent, starting from scratch. From this angle, it might also be translated as “longitudinal.” OPPOSITIONS attempts to bridge the distance between history,philosophical theory, and architectural criticism without limiting itself to a single editorial path. Through critical examination of the positions of architectural works, publications, and architectural theories, it establishes a dialogue among editors, authors, and readers, creating a new stage for an ongoing discussion of the architectural environment and the artificial world.
Italian designer Massimo Vignelli (1931-2014) was commissioned to design the publication’s covers, typography, and fonts. (Due to his friendship with Eisenmann, Vignelli’s design work was often free of charge.) Its iconic “Vignelli red” cover is even more eye-catching in bookstores.As OPPOSITIONS became more widely known in the 1970s, IAUS also attracted more contributions from sponsors, designers, and architecture enthusiasts, fusing the public forum of New York architecture with a club-like impression to become an important bridge between American and European architectural circles. As a prized first edition of this classic architectural journal, the volume has long been out of circulation and is considered one of the most legendary architecture publications.
