I met digital artist Soomi Park in Seoul a few years ago, and her wearable technology experiments have made a strong impression on me. Today, she tackles the issue of privacy protection, a sensitive subject especially since the PRISM scandal. Her project, The Republic of Privacy, stages a fictitious republic in which everything, but absolutely everything, is private. And she questions the possibility of living in complete privacy, while still benefitting from digital technology.

Her project raises questions on the value of information and privacy: what new sociological value can spring from sharing our personal data? How can we build up true and sincere relationships and share intimacy in this fictitious nation? What new technological systems do we need to invent to guarantee a completely private life and take care of this new cultural system?

This year, her projects are exhibited at the Royal College of Art 2013 SHOW in London.

Photo credit: Christian Scheer for Soomi Park