Bogen er en overdådig fotografisk rejse gennem Jørn Utzons mesterlige operahus i Australiens største by Sydney. Bogen er ikke bare en bog om Utzon, men i høj grad en bog med arkitekten selv. Jørn Utzon var personligt meget begejstret for fotografen Katarina Stübes fotografiske arbejde med operahuset, og bogen er opstået ud af et nært forhold mellem arkitekten og bogens fotograf.

I ord og billeder indfanger bogen den styrke, integritet og hengivelse, som operahuset og Utzons arkitektoniske virke rummer. Bogen giver samtidig et billede af manden bag bygningen blandt andet fortalt af sønnen Jan Utzon, der arbejdede tæt sammen med sin far omkring operahuset igennem 30 år.

Forfatteren og fotografen Katarina Stübes poetiske fotos af den skulpturelle bygning giver sammen med en lang række af Utzons egne skitser og forarbejder et fængende indblik i bygningens kvaliteter og dens spændende tilblivelseshistorie.

Katarina Stübe (1978), tyskfødt fotograf. I 2001 flyttede hun til Australien for at studere arkitektur og fotografi. Har fotograferet sin vej gennem fire kontinenter.

Jan Utzon (1944), arkitekt og søn af Jørn Utzon. Studerede arkitektur i Danmark og Australien. Har siden 1985 arbejdet sammen med Jørn Utzon og siden videreført firmaet Utzon Architect og bl.a. stået for dele af restaureringen af operahuset i Sydney.

English
Jørn Utzon was a Dane of great consequence. A man who saw visions in architecture that others could only dream of. Not everyone may know his name but we all know his legacy, the Sydney Opera House. A world heritage icon conceived in the 1950's and opened to heralded acclaim in 1973.

Buildings come and go, they are the very fabric of society and show a great deal about the way in which we live. ‘Living shapes’ that ultimately come to represent our journey as nations and individuals. Indeed my own individual journey carried me from Germany to Sydney as a student, where the raising sails at Bennelong Point, the awe that is the Sydney Opera House, welcomed me that bright sunny first day. A moment I will always carry. There is a fine line between fascination and art and very often photographers combine the two to present us with a unique viewpoint that we might have missed otherwise.

Within the pages of my book, I will show you my fascination, my love and indeed the art that Jorn Utzon’s ‘tour de force’ conveys, through my lens and perception.

I have spent many years, observing and photographing the Sydney Opera House as the light played off its tiles. Each moment giving us a different perspective, an alternative picture and a new set of emotions. I walked the pathways and smelt the air as it crested in over the Harbour. Moreover I endeavoured to show that this centre for the arts is more than just a building or architectural wonder. It is something for everyone, clasped firm in the hearts of the Australian people and its nation and offered to all who come to experience it.

Jørn Utzon perhaps sums it up best himself; “Art continues to live on for generations in manifold forms.” I hope that in some way, I can reach out to you with my eyes and images so that you too can feel the essence captured, presented and collected herein.

You can see Katarina Stübes website here

Katarina Stübe, German-born photographer Katarina Stübe (1978) has photographed her way across four continents. Her work has been exhibited in Berlin, Hanover, Mallorca. In 2001 she relocated to Sydney to study architecture and photography. Katarina is interested in the confluence between culture, geography and communication. A true cosmopolite, fluent in English and German, speaking Spanish, she has lived in Sydney and Berlin, and has just returned to Sydney.

Jan Utzon, born 1944 and grew up with architecture as the main theme during his childhood. Jan studied architecture in Sydney and Copenhagen, graduated in the spring 1970, from which time he has been a registered architect in Denmark. After graduation he worked in various offices in Denmark, and with his father, Jorn Utzon, on a Church in Copenhagen and the National Assembly (parliament) project in Kuwait. Jan was working with "Architects of Hawaii" in 1974 and became registered as an architect in Hawaii. From 1976 until now, various works with Jorn Utzon in Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Sweden, USA, China, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Angola, South Africa, Mozambique, Mexico and Australia. From 1998 Jan has been involved in the refurbishment of the Sydney Opera House. The last 20 years Jan Uzton has been head of their office in Denmark and abroad.