Design reference 77 · Avant-garde & experimental
Palimpsest City
A place is several histories occupying the same coordinates.
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Design specification
Idea. A place is several histories occupying the same coordinates.
Composition. Translucent blue, rust and charcoal plans overlap on parchment. Street names, contour marks and marginal testimony form a full-page atlas.
Navigation and complete example. Explore four fictional periods of the Silt railway district, select one of six addresses, compare its uses and read the resident accounts associated with it.
Responsive and inclusive behaviour. The plan retains a square aspect ratio, with large numbered location controls and a text key underneath. All controls are native buttons or labelled inputs. Movement is discretionary, no sound starts automatically, reduced-motion preferences remove transitions, and a direct index exposes the same content.
Adaptation. Use independently legible evidence layers and honest source labels; preserve spatial relationships when simplifying the map. Retain the relationship between navigation and content. Do not reduce the reference to a generic hero followed by interchangeable cards.
Research. [Rafaël Rozendaal — Internet works](https://www.newrafael.com/internet?filter=website); [Aaron Koblin — The Wilderness Downtown](https://www.aaronkoblin.com/project/the-wilderness-downtown/). These are conceptual precedents, not copied artwork, source code, branding or text. All diagrams and sample writing in this specimen are original, fictional material.
Files for a coding model
Reference images
- Desktop — 1440 × 1000 viewport
- Phone — 390 × 844 viewport
- Supporting state — 1440 × 1000 viewport
- Full page — 1440 × 1000 viewport
Supporting routes
Reuse
Use and adapt the original code and specifications for personal or commercial work under MIT. Keep applicable font and photo notices. The ZIP includes the complete runnable reference and its local assets.