LONDON · Soomi ParkDesign Interactions MA Graduate show 2013.

Soomi Park, who was our first artist in residence in Seoul has recently completed her new project, The Republic of Privacy, having ended her research at The Royal College of Art in London. Soomi has been working on the subject of privacy invasion issues, and has illustrated through a speculative scenario by creating a fictional nation where people can have a life that is 100% private. She has illustrated 3 alternative systems of this nation: Marriage Ritual- 'Identity Marriage', Personal Identification- 'Sniffer Dog Authentication' and Communicating Language system- 'Chromatic Encryption'.

The Republic of Privacy is a fictional nation where people can live in absolute privacy. This project starts with a simple question: What kinds of new systems are needed to guarantee a life that is 100% private?

You can learn more about the project on her website:

Soomi Park is a designer and an artist based in London and Seoul. Her earlier works focused on media art, but is now also exploring areas of speculative design. Soomi is interested in on the social, cultural and ethical consequences of emerging technologies using design as the medium, and to explore those consequences and ask probing questions. As digital technology develops at speed, personal privacy is becoming an increasingly important issue. Many people seem willing to sacrifice their privacy in order to use digital communication, sharing personal information like never before, while others have begun to use technology to protect their privacy and take control of their digital lives. Soomi's interest lies in asking whether it is possible to achieve total privacy while still getting the benefits from digital communication technologies.