Today I learned that the Sydney Opera House is a metaphor for my job.
After watching the Australian Ballet the night before, Professor Ann Christiano and I walked from our Kings Cross hotel along the water and through a park (I don't think I could ever tire of that walk!) back to the Opera House for a tour that started at 9 a.m.
This wasn't a behind-the-scenes tour. Instead, we saw the performance venues, a viewing area of the harbor and a room dedicated to the architect, Jorn Utzon. But I learned two things during the tour that struck me.
First, the Opera House is a work in progress. Although it opened in 1973, the facility continues to refine the aesthetics and improve the acoustics. A new underground loading dock is being built and managers hope to find the cash to rebuild the venue where we saw ballet to allow for better staging.
So the Opera House is always trying to get better. Likewise, I should attempt continuous improvement. I should never be satisfied with what I've accomplished and should strive to improve my teaching and research.
Second, when the architect, Mr. Utzon, submitted his design, it was little more than a sketch. As one of the videos we saw on the tour said, no one knew how the design could be erected -- or even if it could be done. The foundation was poured before anyone could figure out how to build the signature roof.
The lesson for me is that I should pursue the ideal and not limit my vision to what's known to be practical. A great idea is worth pursuing even if we don't know yet how to make it all happen.
After the Opera House tour, we went to the Art Museum to take the Aboriginal art tour. The second time around, I learned several new things about the beauty of the art as both abstract paintings and sacred narratives. One of the art pieces carries a design distinctive to one family after the tribal community determined it merited exclusivity. The sense of shared community and common dependence is a marked contrast to the rugged individualism cherished in American culture.
We ended the day at the Australian Maritime Museum, where we boarded a replica of the ship, the Endeavor, that brought Captain James Cook to Australia in 1770. We also went through a Cold War-era submarine (with commentary from a former sailor on the vessel) and a naval ship before touring the inside of the museum. Of particular note was the evolution of swimming from recreation to obsession. The Aussies perform better per capita than any other country in the Olympics, and swimming has long been one of its best venues.
See pictures for more.
After watching the Australian Ballet the night before, Professor Ann Christiano and I walked from our Kings Cross hotel along the water and through a park (I don't think I could ever tire of that walk!) back to the Opera House for a tour that started at 9 a.m.
This wasn't a behind-the-scenes tour. Instead, we saw the performance venues, a viewing area of the harbor and a room dedicated to the architect, Jorn Utzon. But I learned two things during the tour that struck me.
First, the Opera House is a work in progress. Although it opened in 1973, the facility continues to refine the aesthetics and improve the acoustics. A new underground loading dock is being built and managers hope to find the cash to rebuild the venue where we saw ballet to allow for better staging.
So the Opera House is always trying to get better. Likewise, I should attempt continuous improvement. I should never be satisfied with what I've accomplished and should strive to improve my teaching and research.
Second, when the architect, Mr. Utzon, submitted his design, it was little more than a sketch. As one of the videos we saw on the tour said, no one knew how the design could be erected -- or even if it could be done. The foundation was poured before anyone could figure out how to build the signature roof.
The lesson for me is that I should pursue the ideal and not limit my vision to what's known to be practical. A great idea is worth pursuing even if we don't know yet how to make it all happen.
After the Opera House tour, we went to the Art Museum to take the Aboriginal art tour. The second time around, I learned several new things about the beauty of the art as both abstract paintings and sacred narratives. One of the art pieces carries a design distinctive to one family after the tribal community determined it merited exclusivity. The sense of shared community and common dependence is a marked contrast to the rugged individualism cherished in American culture.
We ended the day at the Australian Maritime Museum, where we boarded a replica of the ship, the Endeavor, that brought Captain James Cook to Australia in 1770. We also went through a Cold War-era submarine (with commentary from a former sailor on the vessel) and a naval ship before touring the inside of the museum. Of particular note was the evolution of swimming from recreation to obsession. The Aussies perform better per capita than any other country in the Olympics, and swimming has long been one of its best venues.
See pictures for more.
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