Trace

Definition

The trace, in Derrida's lexicon, is the non-present remainder that constitutes meaning. Because every signifier refers not to a self-present signified but to other signifiers in an endless chain, meaning is never fully present; it is the "trace" — the mark left by the chain of differences — that constitutes what we take as meaning. In architecture, the trace undermines the idea that a building's meaning originates in its author's intention or is fully contained in its form. A building always carries traces of other buildings (precedents, types, styles), traces of the conditions of its production, and traces of the uses that have inhabited it. The trace connects Derrida's thinking to the Benjaminian dialectical image and to forensic or indexical approaches to architecture.

Key Thinkers

• Jacques Derrida — the trace as the condition of possibility for meaning that is never present in itself.
• Richard Coyne — "signifiers appear to be referring constantly to other signifiers"; meaning is the trace-effect of these chains.

Related Concepts

• Deconstruction — the practice of reading that follows the play of traces.
• Différance — the process of differing/deferring that produces traces.
• Arche-Writing — the proto-writing that leaves traces prior to the speech/writing distinction.
• Presence — the metaphysical illusion that the trace exposes and destabilizes.

Source Support

Sources in the wiki that discuss this concept:

• Derrida for Architects — the trace and the endless chain of signifiers.