Geometry

The first few times I saw the Sagrada Familia I thought it was weird looking. It is weird looking.  Definitely non-traditional.  Which is probably why Gaudi earned only one award during his lifetime and only for his most traditional building.  I thought the Sagrada Familia looked like a giant candlestick with wax melting down the sides.  Charlie and I were planning on going to Barcelona in Feb of 2011.  It didn't work out.  Life pretty much sucked the whole year.  

We're making plans to go this year and Charlie's mom is attempting to tend the kids here while we're gone.  In preparation I've been reviewing my Spanish and checking out travel guides.  It turns out I've got some major Spanglish going on.  5 years of Spanish language classes don't last more than 9 months in my brain.  

A couple of months before our 2011 intended departure, the National Geographic, of which we have a subscription, published a lengthy article about Sagrada Familia.  The article explored the genius behind the construction.  The cathedral is constructed according to the laws of nature with the interior pillars making a forest with tree like limbs.  Gaudi felt the traditional flying buttresses of European cathedrals were only crutches.  One reason the cathedral is being built so slowly is architects and computer programs are still trying to decode Gaudi's genius.  They are finally approaching technology that can replicate his geometric imagination. He uses complex geometric shapes like hyperboloids and hyperboloic paraboloids.  He stacks cubes with spherical openings.  The tree-like columns have never been matched in load bearing capabilities. 

As I begin to see the reason behind the design it becomes more appealing and amazing. While it still looks like liquid stone, I recognize the appeal to mimic God's design in nature.  I also appreciate the patterns, or even code, of geometry.  It was always my favorite unit in Math.

  I find it in how I choose to decorate my whole house.  I shy away from most fabrics that aren't geometric and love to trace the symmetry of the angles and curves on the collection of medallions above my bed.  In short, I'm looking forward to meeting the Cathedral on March 2.