Complicatedly Simple, or Simply Complicated

FINALIST of Re-Draw.07: The Line

+ FINALIST

Re-Draw.07: The Line

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Complicatedly Simple, or Simply Complicated

Team

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‘The Line’ is a paradox: at first glance, a simple straight line stretching across the desert, yet within, a labyrinth of complexity unfolds. Its structure compresses vertical and horizontal axes into a dense urban environment. This seemingly straightforward city challenges perception, turning an orderly grid into a maze of ambiguity. The interplay of vertical and horizontal creates a hyper-complex space where clarity fades into confusion.

Amid this grid, human perception is tested. When confronted with overwhelming complexity, our minds simplify, grasping only obvious patterns—the endless linearity and a few distinct elements. The rest blurs into an indistinct mass. Cognitive science suggests that in intricate environments, our brains filter out excess details, leaving us with a simplified version of reality. In ‘The Line,’ this phenomenon reduces the city’s perceived complexity to an outline of its actual intricacies.

As the city stretches endlessly, its form forces a reconciliation between what appears simple and what is complex. It’s a place where the grid is both guide and trap, leading inhabitants through a landscape that defies full comprehension. In the end, what remains is a question: is it complicatedly simple, or simply complicated?

Jury Comments

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