$240 Mil and Beauty Nil by ctfchallenge

ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 156 - Irony >> Challenge 156 - Eligible > $240 Mil and Beauty Nil


29-MAR-2008	Brent

$240 Mil and Beauty Nil

Experience Music Project, Seattle

aka "A Rich Man's Vanity Project". Microsoft Co-founder Paul Allen spent $240 Million to make this building, and it looks like it was hit with an ugly stick.

Canon EOS 30D ,Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
1/80s f/11.0 at 17.0mm iso100 full exif

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ctfchallenge		03-Apr-2008 06:07
Thanks guys, yeah that opaque blue looks really out of place with the other two Aam. I meant to walk up and tap it on the way home today to see how sturdy it is and forgot. It must be pretty tough though because there aren't any dents that I can see. ~Brent

aam1234		03-Apr-2008 05:25
What Tom said, except I'm not too hot about the blue one on the right. It doesn't go well with the other two. You captured it well, Brent.

ctfchallenge		01-Apr-2008 22:31
Well Brent, I've been looking at this for quite a while and despite all the controversy, I have to admit that I'm thoroughly enjoying the image as a melding of environmental clouds and (windy?) climate with the appearance if not the structure of the buildings. Maybe a little over the top but I think I would enjoy the buildings themselves and now have another reason to visit Seattle.. some day. My one thought about waste is that the outer skin must be rather fragile and will not weather well. -tv

ctfchallenge		31-Mar-2008 18:06
You know, that is the best explainer of what there is to do at EMP I have heard Charlie. Thanks for that, I am going to have to check the place out :-) ~Brent

Charlie Beck		31-Mar-2008 16:26
This particular view does not adequately convey the eyesore that the building inflicts upon the landscape. To fully appreciate the effect, you need to see the EMP from above, and from a distance. Driving along Interstate 5 (takes you to the airport from downtown Seattle) will give you a brief view, and that is all you need. That said, I recommend a day at EMP and at the Science Fiction Museum as part of any visitor’s trip to Seattle. I have been to both. If you are a fan of rock music, and have a love of the history of music, the EMP is worth an entire day by itself. They give you a hand-held speaker device at the door. You walk up to a display case, punch in the number associated with any item on display, and listen to the speaker; you will get a minute or two of information about the display item. My daughter and her husband spent the first hour and a half of their visit in the room that had a display of guitars. What can I say about the Science Fiction Museum? They have the original “Captain’s Chair” from the original Star Trek TV show. Enough said. Also well worth the trip.

ctfchallenge		31-Mar-2008 01:59
Just looking at this from a sculptural viewpoint, it's interesting, but looking at it from an environmental viewpoint, I imagine it would be a disaster. I would venture to guess that the person who wrote the Wikipedia article didn't care for Frank Gehry - probably another competing architect! :-) CJ

ctfchallenge		31-Mar-2008 00:41
I don't have an architectural renderings to show and it is possible that some of the spec was changed against the architects wishes (Frank Gehry). I know some of that garbage on the left was added well after completion. What is there is a big video monitor to try to lure customers, and I guess it is "ironic" that in trying to lure they really foul up the exterior appearance. I suppose a lot of the exterior ramps and stairs were an afterthought to meet local codes, it is just sad that they used such mediocre materials on a $240 million dollar structure. I can say the place sticks out like a sore thumb with the landscape ( I am looking at part of the purple structure from my desk as I am writing this). Here is some of what Wikipedia says about Frank Gehry architecture and it isn't surprising they use EMP for an example of the "bad" elements... The buildings waste structural resources by creating functionless forms The buildings are apparently designed without researching the local climate The spectacle of a building often overwhelms its intended use (especially in the case of museums and arenas) The buildings do not seem to belong in their surroundings "organically" Seattle's EMP Museum represents this phenomenon at its most extreme. Microsoft's Paul Allen chose Gehry as the architect of the urban structure to house his public collection of music history artifacts. While the result is undeniably unique, critical reaction came in the form of withering attacks. The bizarre color choices, the total disregard for architectural harmony with built and natural surrounding, and the mammoth scale led to accusations that Gehry had simply "got it wrong." Admirers of the building remind critics that similar attacks were levelled against the Eiffel Tower in the late 19th century, and that only historical perspective would allow a fair evaluation of the building's merits. However, practical criticisms have continued. An "Eiffel Tower" waiting to be appreciated it isn't! ~Brent

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 22:39
You DO Lydia? You ARE weird! But then I am too! LOL! :-D I actually like the architecture and colors of the building, although I would have liked the blue building to be made out of a shiny, metallic material like the other two and have more texture. The mundane, common fencing etc ruin the ultra modern look of the buildings for me. I wonder what the architect had in mind for the total look of the setting? Brent, any drawings of the total concept? CJ

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 22:21
I think the concrete steps and such ADD to the building... like it was really boring until they draped these drapes over the three buildings. But, as I said... I either have no class or I'm weird. Or both. grin ~Lydia

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 18:45
I like the look of it, too, weird as it may be. I do see a bit of architectural irony here, tho. That being the concrete ramp/walkway, the squarish sheetmetal stuff/junk and boxes in the forground-left, in juxtaposition to the weirdness above them. Actually, the three parts of the building are kind of ironic, by themselves. Well done, Brent. Cheers, -mikey

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 18:43
Brent, the irony in this picture for me is the "beautiful" expensive looking buildings juxtaposed against the ugly concrete walls, stairs, fencing, and ramp. They totally ruin the visual image the architect was trying to create. Good shot! :-) CJ

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 18:30
Well, I find the buildings intriguing, esp. the one on the left...amazing how they were able to make metal sheets look like some flimsy curtain blowing in the wind. However, I don't know why the two end buildings are different colors or why they put the three buildings next to each other, though, as the middle one has no relevance to the other two. The concrete steps and paved courtyard (?) also are jarring against the lines of the buildings. And $240 million seems a high price tag for this ill-conceived monument to one man's ego. So much art today is about pushing the boundaries, and this structure certainly does that. Thank you for sharing it with us. --Mary Anne

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 16:05
hmmmm. I was hopeful anyway. Too bad the story goes like this and thanks for the explanation. Penny Street

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 15:50
Thanks girls :-) I hear what you are saying Lydia, it is interesting and colorful to be certain, but once you get over that it looks like something that crawled out of the ocean and died to most people ;-) The Monorail just goes through it as it approaches the boarding platform slightly out of the image. This was originally supposed to be the Jimi Hendrix Museum Penny (he was from Seattle). My former girlfriend was involved at the ground level on creating a graphic arts identity for it and saw a lot of what went down. The Hendrix family eventually denied rights to the Hendrix name and everything seemed to head downhill from there. The EMP once it opened was very expensive to visit. I brought my niece and nephew down there to check it out, and even the manager was having a hard time explaining the benefits of the admission that I think was like $35. So we didn't go in. The Science fiction museum and for a while display of Paul Allen's art collection are just sidetracks trying to squeeze some profit out of this huge investment. I hear the admission is now $15 and I may check it out sometime, but at the end of this long answer I will say it probably shouldn't be high on your list of attractions to see in Seattle :-) ~Brent

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 15:36
Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame - "A "black box" in a voluptuously undulating musical form. Dedicated to Jimi Hendrix, commissioned by Paul Allen." quoted from great buildings.com. "At Experience Music Project, be inspired by our amazing rotating exhibits of popular music legends. See what it's like to be a rock star and travel to the stars - all under the roof of a renowned architectural wonder!" quoted from seattleattractions.com. Go tohttp://www.empsfm.org/exhibitions/index.asp to see a list of exhibits. So, Brent, you are entitled to your opinion about it's outward appearance, but this is definitely on my list of places to visit sometime. I think it looks really fun and colorful. Penny Street

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 13:15
I must have absolutely no class. I LIKE the building. :) Where does the monorail go? Beautiful colors... the sky is wonderful with the colors of the building. Nicely done, Brent. ~Lydia

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 05:31
Thanks Doug and Charlie :-) I felt lucky to get a break in the rain for this shot. ~Brent

Charlie Beck		30-Mar-2008 05:21
Gosh, that is so true. Nicely done. Great colors. It's about all this place has going for it.

ctfchallenge		30-Mar-2008 04:30
And the title is music to our ears. Good one Brent. -COAmature

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