Jon Utzon and Creative Thinking Training in Australia

Jon Utzon and Creative Thinking Training 

in Australia

Ed

Yes I am aware of some of the stories behind the Sydney Opera House

I followed it from the competition when he won in the 1960s.

Eero Saarinen was selected as the overall judge for the competition

Eero (my architectural grandfather, I worked with one of his top designers when he/Gunnar stayed behind in Birmingham, Michigan when Eero because extremely busy and famous and moved his offices to NYC also to support his wife who was a lead reporter for CBS (I believe that is correct

because he designed the CBS building, long time changed ownerships many times)

On story is that Eero and his firm were so busy that he was late to the Competition Committee's Selection meeting.

The Australian architects went ahead and narrowed down the submissions.

When Eero arrived he quickly looked over their selections and asked where the rejects were.  He reviewed those and pulled out Utzon's design and proceeded to sell it to the committee.

They agreed. Utzon's design was selected

he was awarded the top WINNING PRIZE

and traveled to Sydney to collect it.

Then it became an extremely heated, negative political fight

for years.

Finally Utzon's design was bastardized and finally built.

When I first was in Sydney in 2001 Utzon's son or sons had been hired to FIX the Opera House.  At least that was one of the rumors floating around the Opera House, the few architects or designers I met wandering around Sydney.

It, like the Eiffel Tower, Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids and others is one of the instantly recognizable buildings on the Earth.

The profile of Sydney including it is instantly recognized around the Globe.

Similar stories are told about the design of Canberra, won by an American Team, two main designers were employees of Frank Lloyd Wright:

Walter Burley Griffin/ith 

Marion Mahoney (his wife)

The modern anthropological museum in Canberra was also

an international design competition that an American architect won.

Frank Gehry.

your second point

Teaching of Creative Thinking in Australia?

Hmm?

Many creative art events do happen

Creative Sydney

Vivid Sydney

and others.

Check Ralph Kerle who is based in Sydney about others.

Of course you know Jennifer Goddard and Bill Jarrard

and Jenns' work with Tony Buzan who in 2008 was pushing

himself as a CREATIVITY GURU as well.

Most Creative Thinking training over the past 60 or 70 years

has seldom lasted for 18 months to two years in schools,

in workplaces, in governments.

1970s  Edward de Bono has some success that mostly faded

1980s it was the QUALITY MOVEMENT and QUALITY CIRCLES

1990s other came and went

2000s INNOVATION was the hottest thing

now DESIGN THINKING appears to be exploding.

All the famous researchers, professors, authors, consultants that many I met and developed friendships with from 1978 onward through CPSI, ACA, and the many creativity conferences on the  6 continents that I have attended and presented at have not truly made a true impact or gotten

creativity to THE CRITICAL MASS point or TIPPING POINT 

or whatever the HOTTEST BUZZWORD is today.