Postmodernism and Consumer Society

Postmodernism and Consumer Society" , Jameson explores the concept of "postmodernist space," which he refers to as a "mutation in built space itself" -- where humans become physically disoriented because they have not developed the "perceptual equipment to match this new hyperspace" .In " This hyperspace, which emerges out of postmodernism, is directly linked to the concept of late capitalism. Jameson refers to this mode of capitalism as a "postindustrial society" whose "multinational capitalism" and new pervasive forms of media and technology replace the pre-World War II society.
Jameson focuses his analysis of postmodernist space on John Portman's Bonaventure Hotel. The Bonaventure Hotel is a landmark in downtown Los Angeles. Its futuristic structure is composed of three mirrored-glass towers. Jameson claims that postmodern buildings such as the Bonaventure Hotel do not seek to "insert a different, a distinct, or an elevated language into the tawdry and commercial sign-system of the surrounding city," but, instead, seek "to speak that very language, using commercialism's lexicon and syntax." These buildings, Jameson contends, "aspire to be a total space, a complete world, a kind of miniature city," not wanting "to be a part of the city, but rather its equivalent and its replacement or substitute" . He explains that unlike the great modernist buildings that sought to invoke a dramatic distinction from the surrounding "fallen city fabric," the Bonaventure Hotel seeks no such distinction with its mirrored-glass siding. The hotel itself is hiden with the mirrored-siding. when you look at the building, all that can be seen are the distorted images of everything that surrounds the building. The important element here is Jameson's portrayal of the Bonaventure as composed in the lexicon and form of commercialism, and, hence, late capitalism. The building is, therefore, a physical manifestation of the late capitalistic society -- a mini-city within the city itself. Jameson states that he desires for Portman's building to be distinguished from the "leisure-specialized" space found in places like Disneyland. Disneyland is a "deterrence machine". It presents an imaginary space/world in order to make us believe that the rest of the world is real. The Bonaventure Hotel is a normal element of the whole because of its economic function within the city. It is designed to fit into the physical and economic landscape of the city. It constructs its own "new" world when you enter it. However,this new world is not intended to contrast with the outside city as Disneyland; instead,it is designed to replace it -- to become the outside world.