G-SEN TROPHY 2019-2020
G-SEN TROPHY
HYPERREAL CITIES
If one were to examine the nature of India’s cities in this post-truth era, it would indeed be
possible to draw parallels to Jean Baudrillard’s concept from 1983 - hyperreality. To quote
Baudrillard from his book Simulacra and Simulation- ‘Today, abstraction is no longer that of
the map, the double, the mirror, or the concept. Simulation is no longer that of a territory, a
referential being, or a substance. It is the generation by models of a real without origin or
reality: a hyperreal.’
In other words, the production of the real is based on a model that is simulated to be ‘more
than real’. And when this loop of ‘real’ and ‘more than real’ short circuits itself, the
boundaries between reality and representation are blurred and all we are left with is ‘a
single nebula whose truth is indecipherable.’ But then again, we now live in a post-truth era
and it all adds up - sadly enough.
What if we spun this argument around and thought of these acts as driven by the allure of
utopia? Is it possible to completely suspend disbelief and engage truthfully in this pursuit of
a proxy – a fictional narrative that is imaginary yet legendary?
Can we wipe the slate clean and imagine our cities not as problems to be solved or
ambitions to be met but as celebrations of their hyperreal possibilities?
What if we could map their hyperrealities as a way to capture them?
More specifically, what if we could use cartography to represent the pursuit of this
hyperreal?
Because, after all, maps are not just instruments of communication but also influence and
power.
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G-SEN TROPHY 2019-2020
Take for example the map of
Gotham City, a fictional city
from American comic books
publisher DC Comics and best
known as the home of Batman.
Gotham City is traditionally
depicted as being located in
the state of New Jersey but over
the years, its look and feel has
been influencedby cities such
as New York City and Chicago;
so much that it is hard not to
think that the city exists in real
life somewhere on this planet.
Could it be more hyperreal???
Ironically though, this map was
created only in 1998 even
though the first reference to
Gotham City was in 1940. The
map was designed as a sum of
the many parts that featured in
the comics over the years. It is
therefore possible that while
imagining the hyperreal city,
the act of drawing becomes
the act of designing.
For centuries, cartography has
been applied to make sense of
several aspects of our lives. The act of graphically spatializing information with a geographic
reference enhances our understanding sometimes even beyond the boundaries of
language. But we must also be cognizant of the fact that like paintings or photographs, the
creative expression allowed by maps also masks the biased point of view of the
mapmaker… or perhaps the designs and desires of the mapmaker.
As architects, we use mapping to record spatial data and as a method of inquiry that can
reveal certain patterns that will aid the process of design. But the potential of cartography
can extend beyond data representation and become a part of critical thinking and the
design process itself.
The brief for the 62nd edition of NASA is hence a spin on the current modes of production
of our cities to explore the idea of cartography as a speculative design tool to reimagine
these same cities.
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G-SEN TROPHY 2019-2020
The Brief
Teams must first choose any Indian city of their choice to work with.
However, the city needs to be real and existing on the ground.
The city area to be mapped must be 100 square kilometers.
Teams may choose a city that is much larger than 100 square kilometers but must then
delineate a 100 square kilometer area within that city and work only with this area. Under
no circumstance should the area that is mapped exceed or be less than 100 square
kilometers.
Teams must elucidate through a single cartographic representation of the chosen city as it
stands today, an understanding of its urban morphology and a minimum of one other urban
design dimension – functional, temporal, visual, perceptual or social.
Subsequent to this, teams must create a single cartographic
representation of an imagined cityscape - a hyperreal city –
where ‘the territory no longer precedes the map, it is the
map that engenders the territory’ (Baudrillard, 1983). “Cartography can be an
incredible form of
While doing so, it is also required to identify any one escapism, as maps act as
morphological element from the existing cityscape to retain proxies for experiences.”
in the imaginary version of that city, in order to maintain a
point of reference between the two representations. It is
Antonis Antoniou
advisable, but not a requirement, to pick a stark and
unambiguous element from the existing version to retain in
the imaginary version. Apart from this one element, the
morphology can be altered as per the team’s choice/
design.
The hyperreal city must also demonstrate how the chosen urban design dimension(s) in the
real version manifest themselves in the imagined version.
Evaluation Criteria
Submissions will be judged on the following criteria (but not limited to):
• Clarity with which the urban morphology of the chosen city is read and
represented in both the real and the imagined versions
• Clarity with which the chosen urban design dimension(s) are understood and
represented in both the real and the imagined versions
• Clarity and innovation in the response to create a hyperreal city
• Cartography skills – clarity of information presented, attention to detail and
boldness of representation technique.
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G-Sen Trophy | 2019-2020
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G-SEN TROPHY 2019-2020
Submission Format
PRINT MATERIAL:
• Ideas must be presented through a maximum of two sheets of A1 size.
• One sheet must have the cartographic representation of the chosen city as
existing and the second sheet must have the cartographic representation of the
chosen city as imagined.
• Teams must also submit 10 sets of post cards (A5 size) comprising the content of
the 2 panels shrunk to post card size. Teams are requested to use a suitable post
card template while printing these.
• The soft copy in PDF format shall not exceed 18mb.
DVDS:
• Two DVDs with soft copy of both the sheets in editable and PDF format must be
submitted. (Applicable only to shortlisted participants)
• PDFs should be submitted as a set of high-res versions suitable for printing as well
as a set of low-res versions for on-screen viewing.
Submission Requirement
• Authenticating letter from college HoD for each entry the work submitted is
genuine and they have endorsed copyrights for the same and with the name of
Participant(s) and stating the unit shall abide by whatever may be the final results
and also agree that this entry is property of both the institute and NASA India.
• Declaration by the participant(s) stating the work submitted is genuine and they
have endorsed copyrights for the same and to adhere by all the rules and
regulations, Jury process and the results.
• Authenticating letter from college HoD/Principal/Director (on College
Letterhead with Sign and Stamp of HoD/Principal/Director of the college),
specifying the Account Details (Account Name, Account Number, Bank Name,
ISFC Code) in which the Prize Money is to be awarded.
• The soft copy (non - editable format) of the sheets and video link/presentation
should be uploaded on the website failing which the submission will be
considered incomplete and the entry shall be disqualified. If the soft copy file of
the sheets is damaged or in low resolution, the entry shall be disqualified.
• Editable format of the sheets has to be submitted during the Annual NASA
Convention (Applicable only for shortlisted entries),failing which, the submission
requirements would be deemed incomplete leading to the prize money being
withheld.
National Association of Students of Architecture
G-Sen Trophy | 2019-2020
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G-SEN TROPHY 2019-2020
General Guidelines
All sheets shall have the words “G-SEN TROPHY 2019-2020” clearly mentioned on
them.
Both sheets shall also bear the NASA logo, in proper specification on the right
hand bottom corner.
The postcards shall bear the NASA logo and the words “G-SEN TROPHY 2019-
2020” both printed on the back of the post card.
Registrations and submissions should be done by the Unit Secretary in NASA India
website before the deadline.
Any misconduct such as exposing identity through college name/stamp,
participant(s) name or college code on the sheets/ post cards will be
DISQUALIFIED.
NASA Logo Guidelines
o NASA Logo shall always be placed on the right-hand bottom corner of the
sheet with a margin of 10mm from right and bottom of the page.
o NASA logo should not be merged, overlapped etc. with any sort of text,
graphic, image, etc.
o NASA logo should be true black with a perfectly white background.
o For A1 sheet NASA India logo size should be 30mm x 52.50mm with 10mm clear
border on all 4 sides.
PRIZE MONEY:
Prize money of 2 lakhs Rupees is allotted to the trophy and it will be divided according to
the number of Citations and Special Mentions.
IMPORTANT DATES:
The release of brief – 3rd October 2019
Queries – 10th December 2019
Any Kind of Queries need to be submitted through the website at
https://nasaindia.co/trophy/gsen
To
Idris Ahamed Shariff
National President | 2019 - 2020
NASA India
National Association of Students of Architecture
G-Sen Trophy | 2019-2020
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