Icon tiles
As much as I knew the Sydney Opera House’s famous roof was covered in white tiles, just how this actually worked in reality didn’t really hit me until I was here in Sydney and had a chance to get right up close to the thing.
The sails (I think they’re officially called shells) are actually covered in over a million ceramic tiles arranged in patterns of gloss white and matte cream — you can see the difference in this shot.
The way light plays on the iconic curved roof is I think the most captivating part of the building — the colour, reflections and shadows from the other peaks and the bridge as the sun sets — are always changing and I’ve resigned myself to the fact that photos will never really capture it.
That doesn’t mean I’ll stop taking photos though. I just know they won’t really do it justice.
Posted on Saturday, July 28, 2007 and filed under Life.
