A group is briefed on the workshop premise. Simultaneously, another group is hearing the same brief in another language.

(with Wenjin Yao)

Work in progress...

After a recent large-scale geological event, a mass of the sea floor was pushed above the ocean's surface just off the coast of the mainland. The new land formation is unbeknownst to most, but small groups of people are starting to head for the island. Since the land mass is only slightly beyond national jurisdiction, the government has a vested interest in helping the island form its own governing body.

This is the introduction to a workshop being devised in collaboration with Wenjin Yao, a cultural research PhD at the Royal College of Art. The workshop is an exploration regarding the perception of culture through social and regulatory structure, and the impact of these cultural structures on design.

Two parallel workshops are held simultaneously; each represents a distinct country, and is comprised of individuals from that country. The groups are given the same task: to propose a social/regulatory structure for a new island, based on their understanding of their own nation. Mid-way through the workshop, the groups are alerted to the existence of the other island. In the hypothetical scenario, they are told that there may be an economic necessity to establish a trade relationship. Based on the governing proposal of the second island, what can be perceived of its inhabitants? How does this perception alter the thinking and design of 'exports' to the other island?