More: Lonely Piano (3#) -

The image of the baby grand piano on the sandbar really went viral. It even made BBC TV. I saw it on the Beeb last night. It seemed to resonate with a lot of people. But why? That in itself is an intriguing question.

Speaking for myself only, I associated it with the earlier image of the lonely cellist who persisted in playing his cello every day through the violent dissolution of Yugoslavia.

Many people around the world found him inspiring because he seemed to represent the hope that Civilization would prevail over a reversion to the forces of darkness and savagery there.

His cello became a symbol representing the hope of civilization; and his persistent attachment to it came to represent an inspiration that in spite of all the violence going on around him, Humanity would persistently cling to the values we normally associate with that cello. The piano on the sandbar evoked my memories of that earlier inspiration.

When I posted the link to the piano story, I commented on the image; but, on second thought, I deleted my comment, because I soon realized that the image could generate Reverie and a creatively productive experience for the viewer.

Around SoFlo, the image triggered mostly just some quick quips, although some people thought it might be a publicity stunt for the newly-opened Frank Gehry concert hall. That's not such a shabby thought. And it brings us to Architecture.

Architecture, they tell us, is about how we experience the space around us. But it can be a difficult experience to verbalize.

I remember vividly my experience years ago, when we visited the work of Mr Lapidus. Moving down the grand staircase at the Fontainebleau Hotel made me feel like Loretta Young, a glamorous movie star. The dogs may bark, but the caravan moves on: I felt that Mr Lapidus had a magic touch and I became a fan.

When Mr Lapidus sprinkled his magic fairy dust, he could imbue the environment with glamor and majesty and even some exhilaration. I can only hope that Mr Gehry proves to be a worthy successor to Mr Lapidus with comparable inspirational results.

The explanation for the piano being left on the sandbar? It was put there as part of a hare-brained photo-shoot scheme, of course. But, surely, you must have guessed that by now. The image was far more powerful than its relatively prosaic explanation.

Maybe SoFlo has enjoyed basking in its glow for a moment. Maybe it has been an uplifting moment. And maybe it was a felicitous coincidence.

:: BBC :: Grand piano appears on Miami sandbank
:::: BBC :::: Piano mystery solved

:: TDB :: Frank Gehry's New World
Symphony Center in Miami Beach

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