Sydney’s Opera House is an iconic symbol of Australia and known world wide. It is also a UNESCO world heritage site. The construction of this building began in the 50’s and was considered quite avant-garde for the time. There are several theories put forth as to why the the building was designed to look this way. One theory is that the shapes of the arced domes resemble the sails of sail boats that ply the harbor. The other theory is that the arcs are meant to resemble slices of an orange.

I prefer the theory that the design was based on sails, and that is why I took this shot. I was on my way back from the coast, on a ferry, when this scene happened. The sail boat was outpacing the ferry when we were coming towards town and I saw this shot showing the sail boat and the Opera House. The triangular forms of the sails and the arced domes of the Opera House seemed to echo each other. The next day as I was leaving, there was a regatta in the harbor and sails filled the skyline. The Opera House’s location on the edge of the water next to the hundreds of sails seemed to fit perfectly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Heritage_Site

http://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/about/the_architect.aspx