Cogs in the City

Fig: 1 - A city is an area in which a large number of people live together and this convoluted system is assisted by extensive infrastructure and service systems.

ALL THAT IS THE ‘CITY’

The city is a common and prevalent part of human dwellings today. 

Cities are often imagined as chaotic spaces, especially in developing countries, where any semblance of order is lost in the sheer scale of citizens and infrastructure. 

Yet, if we peruse just a little bit deeper, cities are a fascinating machine that creaks over its multitude of piecemeal cogs. 

Disjointed individuals and processes that when looked at microscopically are mere activities of everyday life. But once you zoom out just a little and look with a keen eye a complex and kaleidoscopic web emerges that connects the city and the sum of its minuscule parts. 

A city thus emerges not as a space with no semblance of order but a complex and sensitive ecosystem that is made of its people and their everyday lives.  

Fig: 2 -  There are many social, cultural and environmental factors that may vary and politicise the representation of a city through the lens of an artist. (Credits: Jacob Dhein/My Modern Met)

THE CITY IN ‘ART’

The modern artist has grown close with the city. In its complex and often gritty everyday scenes, it has been the muse to many artists across decades attempting to capture human lives. 

The city became not just the inspiration but also the place to exhibit, share and discuss. It became the space for the art as well as its critique. These pieces of art often shrouded in poetic and romantic coverings is in a more real sense, a reflection of urban life. 

It allows us an artistic perspective into how human life emerges and through it creates a new dimension for professionals to learn to see the city in ways that may be invisible when approached from the lens of a professional.

As we strive to build and rebuild cities that work better for the citizens that dwell in them, it may be intriguing to look at the problem in front of us from every angle and lens that we have available. 

Fig: 3 -  The city represented as critical art can also be seen from a technical perspective, where all concerning elements are represented in physical abstracts, contemplating cities. (Credits: Jacob Dhein/My Modern Met)

CITY AS A MACHINE

Given the understanding that art is an intriguing and valuable window into human life, how might we employ this lens to make apparent the complex and even delicate machinery that makes up an urban space?

Brief: The competition brief calls for designers to create a visual representation of the city as a machine made up of the ‘cogs’ or smaller parts of the system that characterise everyday life. 

The facet of the urban city to be represented or highlighted is at the discretion of the participant, as per their perception. Through your outcome, you must be able to communicate the balance between the perceived chaos and the hidden intricate order that lies behind the city system. 

You can create a single image or a series of images in a medium of your choice, in either 2D or 3D format. The aim of this challenge is to attempt to understand a facet of our urban environments through the lens of art.  

OBJECTIVES

Synthesize: Delineate and understand the complex systems in a city and their relationships. 

Expression: The graphic should effectively communicate the balance between order and perceived chaos in the mechanism of a city to the viewer.

Lucidity: Clarity in composition and intent to communicate the idea better.

Visual Delivery/Aesthetics: A distinct visual language to help the graphic stand out for better communication.