NASA INDIA UCP TROPHY 2012-13 UNKNOWN CRAFT PERSON’S TROPHY (UCP Trophy) At NASA 2013 Instituted by VIRASAT FOUNDATION, Ahmedabad Amrit-Lila Bungalow, Off Nagari Hospital Road, Near Gujarat College, Ahmedabad 380 006, INDIA. Tel: 91-79-2642.0622 or 6524.9799; Fax: 91-79-2644.0187 THE INTENT: Ensuring the Cultural Heritage of India is the responsibility of every Indian. In its allencompassing definition, India’s built heritage assumes a significant & dominant position, and necessitates a deeper and more wholesome understanding from all involved in the field of architecture. The exposure to the built heritage is a part of the curriculum of most of the architecture institutions in the country, through related studies/field visits. However, whilst these programmers increase the familiarity with the ‘End-Products’ represented by buildings, building complexes & settlements, it offers minimal exposure to the ‘Processes’ and ‘Human Skills’, which made the End-Products worthy of being included in India’s built heritage. Hundreds and thousands of ‘Unknown Crafts Persons, who have been the carriers of the Traditional Knowledge & Wisdom for centuries, have contributed to the magnificent Architecture of India. The primary strength of the architecture of India lies in the anonymity of its designers. This is evident from the fact that many of the students of architecture, and architects are unaware of the identities of the principal designers of our monuments such as the Taj Mahal, or the Agra Fort, or the complexes of Fatehpur Sikri / Hampi, or the Palaces of Padmanabhpuram / Jaipur / Indore / Mysore / Srinagar /Bhuvaneshwar, or the temples of Dilwara / Konarak / Khajuraho / Varanasi / Madurai, and hundreds of thousands of residences which have stood the test of time running into centuries. This is because making of a building was a collective process and responsibility, which offered opportunities for creative input at all levels of implementation, and was not restricted to the design studios of its Sthapatis / Architects, as it appears to be presently. The wealth of this Traditional Knowledge & Wisdom, embodies in the ‘Processes’, has neither been fully documented, nor is fully documentable. It has been passed on from one generation to another and from the teacher to a worthy student.
National Association of Students of Architecture 55th Annual NASA Convention Unknown Craft Person’s Trophy 2012-13
NASA INDIA UCP TROPHY 2012-13 The only hope for its survival and subsequent revival lies in the increased employment generation of the Traditional Crafts Persons, who have been invested with this wealth of knowledge. A lack of familiarity of the generations of architects trained in the postindependence era, owing largely to its exclusions from the curriculum in the present employment system, results in their inability to generate this much needed employment. This familiarity MUST begin and get nurtured at the academic institutions, if architects of India are expected to play a role in the conservation of its heritage of Traditional Knowledge & Wisdom. At the students’ level, the exposure to the ‘Processes’ and the ‘Human Skills’ of the ‘Crafts persons’, requires substantially increased familiarity. The intent of this competition is to expose the students to the vast range of crafts which exists all around us and yet we are not too familiar with it. It is only with familiarity that the students will feel comfortable to apply them in their designs to increase the aspects of contextualism as well as the craftspersons’ skills. This competition is to help the students to understand, analyze and investigate such crafts. This process will help them to discover the wealth of crafts and craftspersons’ unknown to them who, with/without credit, fame and/or acknowledgment have been tirelessly working and contributing for generations to make India so rich in its diversity, variety & creativity. This initiative of introducing the ‘Unknown Crafts Persons’ Trophy’, (UCP Trophy), by Virasat Foundation, Ahmedabad, is a step in that direction. It will be given to deserving student/students at this & subsequent annual NASA Conventions. THE OBJECTIVES: The broad objectives of this competition & the Trophy are: To provide opportunities to the students of architecture for explorations into a less known wealth of knowledge & wisdom embedded in the construction traditions of India. To provide them with a motivation for pursuing this direction during their academic career. To encourage them to develop a deeper & more holistic understanding of the ‘Processes’ & ‘Human Skills’, which lie in every region of the country, and help them develop greater familiarity with the traditional materials, technologies & decision making processes. To open up avenues to explore one more direction of the practice of the profession when they embark in their own careers.
National Association of Students of Architecture 55th Annual NASA Convention Unknown Craft Person’s Trophy 2012-13
NASA INDIA UCP TROPHY 2012-13 The specific objective of the competition and the Trophy are: Every entry should select one ‘Human Skill based Craft’ from any region of India, preferably from the home town/ region of the entrant. THE ELIGIBLITY CRITERIA: Any student / student groups registered with any institution of architecture in India, and a part of NASA India will be eligible for participation in the competition for UCP Trophy. THE COMPETITION- FORMAT- REGULATIONS: -The completion entries must comprise: Only Handmade, Hand sketched, hand drafted, Hand written work. It may include photographs but no collages. -A maximum of 03 students can participate in this trophy. CONTENT: 1. 2.
3. 4.
Selection of one ‘Human Skill based Craft’ from any region of India, using one or more traditional materials/technologies, and used in the making of any built environment. Detailed documentation of the selected Craft, comprising the description of the craft, materials & technology it uses, tools involved, sequential processes involved up to the final completion/installation stage, and potentials & limitations of its usage. Identification of its potential use in contemporary designs/construction projects. Short compilation of the lessons learnt and inferences made by the student/group of students, which he/she/then intend to use in the future academic design assignments.
FORMAT: Compilation only in Handmade/sketched/ hand drafted (Can include real photographs but no collages) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Minimum 4 sheets and maximum 7 sheets only. A3 Sheets size (420mm X 297mm), Landscape orientation. 25mm margined on the binding side and 15 mm margins on the rest. Border to be evolved from the documenting craft. Every sheet to be numbered. Title + UPC trophy Logo +college code on each sheet. NASA logo should be there on each sheet following NASA Logo guidelines. These sheets to be scanned/digitalized in a high resolution and two c.ds to be sent as one bearing all the three participants’ names and college name and college code and second with just the college code.
National Association of Students of Architecture 55th Annual NASA Convention Unknown Craft Person’s Trophy 2012-13
NASA INDIA UCP TROPHY 2012-13
TOPIC SELECTION: Students are requested to research for new topics and exempt the ones mentioned below unless they have new point of view and bigger mass of derivation. 1. Guna tiles 2. Mannar- Bell Metal Craft 3. Chattri of Chimaji Appa Sahib Bolia 4. Carving- Traditional Building 5. Dhokra Art 6. Window Carving and craft 7. Bastar Timber Craft 8. Walnut Wood Carving 9. Mud Craft 10. Paper Mache 11. Jan-e-Gujhista (Srinagar Craft) THE EVALUATION CRITERIA: 1. The breadth & depth of understanding of the selected Craft by the student/group of students. 2. Presentation of his/her/their understanding of the Craft in the submitted documentation, in terms of content & quality. 3. His/her/their lessons learnt and inferences made from the study of the selected Craft 4. His/her/their imagination for its use in contemporary design/construction projects. 5. Evaluation on the basis of: Choice of craft 20% Analysis, investigation and depth of understanding of craft 30% Body of Content 30% Presentation Skills 20% 6. The decision of the selectors will be final and binding to all the participants. THE SUBMISSIONS The submission shall be in the format of A3 landscape pattern sheets following the above stated rules and regulations along with 2 CD’S as mentioned and an authentication letter from the respective college stating that the work is purely done by the bonafide students of that respecting college. It should be posted to the mentioned address latest by 25th DECEMBER’12. National Association of Students of Architecture 55th Annual NASA Convention Unknown Craft Person’s Trophy 2012-13
NASA INDIA UCP TROPHY 2012-13
It will be submitted to: VIRASAT FOUNDATION, Ahmedabad Amrit-Lila Bungalow, Off Nagari Hospital Road, Near Gujarat College, Ahmedabad 380 006, Gujarat, INDIA. Email: abhikram@abhikram.com For any queries related to the submission please contact SAMRUDDHI S. CHAPHALE PRESIDENT NASA INDIA +91-95612-48653 president@nasaindia.info, president.nasaindia@gmail.com The submission should not have any identification of the participants in any form, on the front face of the submitted sheets. THE ASSESSORS The Assessors will include one of the trustees of Virasat Foundation and at least two experienced architect participating in the NASA 2013 who will be assisted in the assessment process by the present as well as the immediate past-president of NASA 2013, or their representatives, as observers. THE CITATION & TROPHY: The Trophy will be accompanied by Citations and Special Mentions by the Assessors as per NASA rules and books on crafts for the awardees. THE OUTCOME: The intended outcome of the UCP Trophy is the publication of a Monograph of the winning and other worthy entries, for circulation to all the architectural institutions who are a part of NASA India in appropriate format, either in the form of electronic or print media, as deemed fit by the Trustees of Virasat Foundation. Parul Zaveri & Nimish Patel Trustees, Virasat Foundation, Ahmedabad National Association of Students of Architecture 55th Annual NASA Convention Unknown Craft Person’s Trophy 2012-13