When I thought about a space that would be easily analyzed compositionally, I thought about theaters. When I saw the Sydney Opera House I knew it was an amazing space and I had seen it before, but the interiors are so complex and the design is very interesting. The Opera House as anyone would expect is on a monumental scale. A human would feel completely insignificant in the space. The exterior of the building itself demands attention, but upon entering the space one is overwhelmed with a sense of awe. The geometric shapes that form the shell of the building are repeated within the interiors to create a connection. The composition of the space delegates how people interact and view the space.
The main purpose of the space is to provide an area to view theatrical performances. The designer intentionally arranged the seating in ways which allowed the show to be viewed from multiple sides. All two and three dimensional aspects of the space are rectilinear and have a central emphasis on the stage. Your eye can follow any line in the space to that central focus and the reason why everyone is there. This sectioning of seating and strong use of line creates isles and forms specific traffic patterns through the space.
Although the building itself has one specific purpose, there are individual spaces (mostly the separate seating areas) that are all similarly proportioned. The largest areas though are the stage and the massive step seating area directly in front of the stage. The designer did a very good job of relating the floor plan to the three dimensionality of the space. When I look at the interior of the Sydney Opera House, it reminds me of a symphony. I am not exactly sure of the designer’s intent here, but it feels as though it embodies what an opera house should be. When you see these pictures how do you think the space would make you feel? Do you feel as though the designer did a good job of relating both the two and three dimensionality of the space? How do you think the designer wants an person to feel in this space?
The Sydney Opera House is well known for its exterior. The interior however does not gain as much recognition. I had never even seen the interior, and now that I have, I believe it is just as amazing as the exterior. If I were to actually visit the space, I would feel overwhelmed. The sheer scale of the space would make any individual feel minute. Because the space is not only active in the floor space, but also in the ceiling plan, it allows for a successful connection between the two and three dimensional spaces. Every aspect of the space radiates from the central stage area, both in the seating and in the ceiling plan. Personally I feel that the designer would want an individual user to feel that there is something grand that happens in this space, something you can’t touch, music. The music in the space is complimented and enhanced by the large scale interior of this opera house.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first looked at these pictures I wasn't sure what the space was, I thought it was a church or some kind of theater. Once I began reading and learned that it was the Sydney Opera House I realized that I had never seen the interior or have even given much thought to it. Like Maggie said earlier, the Sydney Opera House is most recognizable for its exterior that we tend to forget about the interior. When I was looking at the pictures I got this feeling of importance that something worth paying attention to would be happening down in the center. The designer did a good job at relaying this message by using the straight lines in the ceiling and floor plans to subconsciously direct the visitor’s attention to the center. The monumental scale of the interior relates well to the building. It adds to that importance feeling as well as successfully correlating the scale of the exterior with the interior.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhen thinking of theatres the central stage and the cascading seating always come to mind, however, when viewing the Sydney Opera House interior, I thought it truly unique. Overall, the space is vast, and the architect meant for visitors to feel small, but the architect did add variation when it came to the different ways the stage could be viewed. For example, the side seating areas are a part of this variation of space, and from that distance, a more personal feel is created between the viewers and the stage. Furthermore, due to their distance from the stage and due to their increased height, the side seating areas are viewed as more important and are more desired by visitors.
ReplyDeleteAlso, with the use of lines in the space, visitors feel a sort of connection to the actual stage. The lines themselves fan out from the center point above the stage, tapering out into the crowd. Because of this, viewers not only have a connection from simply viewing the entertainment in front of them, but they are physically connected through the architectural lines. The architect, knowing this was the whole purpose of a theatre, was strategic and successful with their use of space and line.
Before reading this discussion, I had never seen the interior of the Sydney Opera House. I have always just known it for its beautiful exterior. Now that I have been familiarized with this space, I believe it to be just as beautiful and dynamic as the exterior. An opera house is a place for people to go to and expect a grand and "aweing" performance. This is exactly what the interior exemplifies. I think that its design very much adds to the intended experience of the opera house.
ReplyDeleteI think the designer did a beautiful job of creating such a space. The space is of an extremely large human scale, which causes the user to feel minute.Opera is a performing art that requires quite the set of lungs, so acoustically, the performers themselves contribute to this scale as well.
The designer also did a good job of creating a focal point towards the stage through the use of line and form. Although it seems like there is alot going on in the space, all of this activity points to one direction. This also creates a strong connection between the audience and the performers.
This space makes me feel so regal and elegant. If I came into this space it would be such an experience for me becuase of how it's designed. The space is so dynamic and grandiose feeling that you feel so overpowered and engulfed in the beauty of the lights and designs. The designs of the 2 and 3 dimensional space relate well to each other even though the scale is so monumental it allows the acoustics to be heard well throughout the space. Both the dimensions create such a space that is large but with such details and dynamics veiwers are captivated by the space rather than being overwhelmed.
ReplyDeleteInside the Sydney Opera House, I would feel like a tiny ant looking up at a starry night sky. The cascading ribs within the vast ceiling design create a compositional variety, although they can also be considered quite similar, that creates a feeling of endlessness, eternity, and magnitude. I imagine doing a solo in the very center of the central stage and feeling that everything in the universe is concentrating on me and my voice. Compositionally speaking, the grounded half of the space is much heavier in color and overall weight than the airy upper half. This correlates with the feeling of endlessness conceptually developed through the ceiling.
ReplyDeleteAs I take a second look at the space, now I ironically see a cave-like quality to the interior of the opera house. This contrasts my previous statement that speaks of eternity. However, now I see that the space opens up endlessly in all directions but upward. There is a clear boundary at the top where the ribs cascade the least. The interior is thus, more a cave expanding forever into the north, south, east, and west rather than above sea level or below sea level.
I feel as though the designer wished to create a space that mimics the expansive quality of the opera voice. This voice carries an incredible distance and the designer achieved this through an expansive ceiling design.
Funny that once again the interior of a space is forgotten, and what is recognized is the architectural structure. Ironic?
ReplyDeleteIt's hard to deny the beauty of the Sydney Opera House, both the exterior and the interior. The thought that must have gone into this design is kind of mind boggling, and intimidating. The First thing I noticed when looking at the space was It's warm color scheme. A color scheme that vibrates and moves through the space, mimicking the movement and the vibration in the singing voices. This creates a full emotional experience that is unavoidable. I also quickly noticed the radial balance of the space, diagonal lines extend outwardly from a central point. The point hovers over the stage where the performance takes place again mimicking the travel of sound, extending from one person out into the audience.
The designer did a phenomenal job creating a unique and memorable experience. By placing the audience in an awe inspiring space it helps to evoke an emotional response to the performance, much like the designers of old Catholic Cathedrals did.
Like Carrie, I had never seen the interior of the Sydney Opera House before. But it really is breath taking. At first the space was hard to interrupt because all the lines within it flow so smoothly together. But after studying the second image a little closer I was able to make out the various components within the space like the stage and seating areas. I think one of the aspects that makes the interior so beautiful are the warm, rich colors, which is funny because I’m much more attracted to cool colors than warm colors. The browns, reds, oranges, and yellows used within the space makes the interior appear more refined and sophisticated, yet doesn’t take away from the structural elements at all. I think the most stunning feature within the space though is the ceiling. The way all the lines converge or unite in the center forms a beautiful motif and really establishes the stage as the focal point. The arrangement of the seating areas on the floor further emphasizes the center of the room. I think just as many of the girls stated before me, if I was in the space I would feel small, due to the scale and would feel like I was about to be part of a wonderful experience.
ReplyDelete