Everyone has a story … Setting off from leafy Dulwich, Paul discovers the electrifying music of the late 60s, legendary gigs, light-shows and student rebellion. Artist and architect heroes inspire precarious travels to North Africa and Iran in a search for the sustainability and longevity of indigenous cultures. Back in London, he finds work for Grosvenor and Cadogan Estates whilst simultaneously being commissioned by the rock ‘n roll world. Radical recording studios to meet the changing technology of music production lead to stage sets and musicians houses: Ringo Starr, Roxy Music and Duran Duran all enjoying Paul’s ability to inject individuality into their homes.
This is a study of royal absolutism in a most extreme form in modern European history, and of the nature of Louis XIV's concept of personal glory and of the embodiment of France as a new superpower.
The volume includes numerous previously unpublished photographs, drawings and interviews with Utzon's family members, former students and colleagues, offering a significant contribution to the existing body of knowledge for any architecture scholar interested in Utzon's work and design principles.