ABSTRACT
The death of Jorn Utzon, the architect of the Sydney Opera House, was a sorrowful event for those closely connected with the architect and for the general public, who felt that he was synonymous with the Sydney Opera House. This chapter develops a creative analysis of a set of personal tributes posted in response to Utzon's death. The site, where hundreds of people posted their own personal tributes to Utzon and to the Sydney Opera House, is an example of participatory culture that resides within the institution. The creation of the online tributes was an institutional response to the emotion demonstrated by members of the public in the wake of Utzon's death. The chapter explores how van Dijck's tool offers a way to analyse practices of participatory culture within the online tributes offered at the time of Utzon's death.
