Big Poopy Birds

shanghai urban landscaping
Originally uploaded by sherryworld.

It's China. I understand it's a different culture, a different tune that folks march to out here. Really. I get it. But then there are times when I come across the incomprehensibly out of whack. Like this building that looks like a giant seagull just cruised by and took a big fat poop on it. This just makes me turn around to the nearest person and ask, with a very sincere and perturbed look, "Why?"

Architects inspire. From Alvar Aalto to Zaha Hadid, these amazing space manipulators have time and again provided us with awe-inspiring, drool-inducing panoramic backdrops that make up the world stage we like to frolic in. While flipping through Art Nouveau a few years ago, one curious glance at Gaudi's seductive Casa de Batllo was enough to convince me to book a one way flight to the EU.

Unfortunately I cannot say the same for the architectural "experiments" here in Shanghai. For a city where building cranes almost outnumber residents (ok, complete exaggeration on my part, but you get the idea) you would expect an oogle of amazing architecture spilling from every angle of this fine city. Instead we've got some PCB- pretty crappy buildings. Literally.