Visiting a building designed by a legendary architect is both a privilege and an experience to remember. The EMP (Experience Music Project) Museum in Seattle is the perfect example of this. In my opinion, a museum becomes even more interesting when there is a melding of content and container, so to speak—a fusion of the building and the exhibits it contains, as is the case with the EMP Museum.
Opened in 2000 by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, this museum still has a modern look about it today and bears the classic Gehry signature: curved lines and metal panels. Located in the Seattle Center and adjacent to the famous Space Needle built for the 1962 World’s Fair, the EMP is an interactive museum dedicated to rock music and science fiction. It also houses a concert hall and a cultural centre.
It’s said that Gehry’s inspiration for the building came from slicing electric guitars into pieces, which he then assembled into early models. The building’s colours are certainly inspired by the instruments: blue, purple, red, and silver. His goal was to evoke the rock ‘n roll experience—he definitely succeeded!
There’s no doubt that Gehry is a creative and architectural genius. His unique style is his calling card, which is now recognized all over the world. I urge all architecture buffs to immerse themselves in the Frank Gehry experience at least once in their life.
