Sydney Opera House

I have never been one to be impressed with something simply because others are.

The Sydney Opera House falls into this description. I must admit, I was disappointed.



There were certainly inspiring aspects, most notably the superior and advanced engineering involved in a structure of such an unconventional shape.




As a visual array of lines, I think it must be mesmerizing in two dimensions.

But in three, well it just looks messy.





The glorious white shell is tiles, which destroy the shape’s smooth lines with an inconsistent lattice work.



It certainly has optimal viewing distances. Looking at it up close, and seeing all the tiles has a certain visual appeal. Seeing it from afar, where the tiles are smoothed out to a perfect shell, is also appealing. But the distance where you see the structure and the tiles, well, made me want to caulk around the tiles to smooth it out.

And I am sorry, but I just can’t help but think it looks like a broken dinosaur egg.

I don’t think it is as awe inspiring today as it was when it was built. If instead, you look at it as a period piece of the 60’s, it is ground-breaking.

I want to revitalize it by using colors to accentuate its more dramatic contours.

Don’t get me wrong, I feel privileged to have seen it, right out side my bedroom window no less. But it is certainly not on my list of things to return to.



Stupid: When real life falls so short of expectation.


Cool: Adventurous architecture of the 60’s, even if I personally don’t think it stood the test of time.



Cool: Anything that melds engineering and art for the common goal of aesthetic pleasure.