Reflections regarding a red brick tower

The following is re-posted from my Curating Architecture class blog.

I waddled into my dorm room in the kind of contended daze that can only come from having just digested a full meal of dining hall food. Little did I know, however, that my state of pleasant complacency was about to abruptly end, as soon as I noticed the strange orange glow lurking on my wall …

Puzzled, I look around for the source of the light. Could it have been reflecting off of the nearby Sulzberger tower, which happened to stand across the courtyard from my room’s window …

… and was now soaking up the last rays of a setting sun? Apparently so. I had no idea that bricks could project a light reflection approximately 100 feet away, but I guess you learn something new every day.

I looked back up to see that the light on the wall had changed. All exuberance dissolved as the tower shifted back to its usual businesslike poker face of gray:

The spirit of the moment had vanished. My vision darted back to the spaces of my room as I frantically searched for any last glimpses of the fading magic, only to find that my walls had safely returned to their usual state of dreariness. It was as if nothing interesting had ever happened.

Although I have now landed back within my standard expectations of reality, I cannot help but remember the moment. It was almost as if the tower’s familar brick face had, for just an instant, managed to slip free of its daily toils of firmitas and utilitas and beam me a wink as a sign that the world can be a more beautiful experience, if only one finds the right places and times where unexpected events can happen.

But then I realized that it was time for me to stop pondering by the window and get back to work.