Korean spatial designer creates installation for global human rights

The installation tells the stories of six young activists who have been arrested and detained for advocating human rights. / Courtesy of Amnesty International

By Celeste Kriel

The latest Amnesty International letter-writing campaign, “Write for Rights,” focuses on young activists around the world that have been unjustly detained for their efforts in fighting against human rights abuses. Amnesty International approached Korean furniture and spatial designer You Hye-mi to design an installation that would shed light on each of the individual activist's stories in an interactive campaign, and encourage people to write letters in support of the activists to pressure their governments into releasing the detainees.

You, who is an expert in storytelling through spatial design and carpentry, expresses her love for design and stories through her brand smallstudiosemi. All You's designs tell a story, whether she's designing a space for an exhibition or furniture for a client.

Artist You Hye-mi

“The furniture I make tells the story of whoever is using it. For example, a long time ago I was living in a 3m x 4m one-room apartment and I wanted to have a small table, bench and at the same time storage and even exercise equipment. The room was tiny, so I made a vaulting box that can be used for exercising, but also be separated into a table, bench and storage. Like this, I dream about a crazy thing and make it work in a specific space,” she told The Korea Times.

Although hesitant initially, You, an experienced carpenter and human rights advocate rose to the challenge Amnesty set for her, by dreaming up a six-hole putt-putt or mini-golf course with the tagline “Hit the Ball, Hit the Action,” where each of the six tracks relays the story of one of the activist's unjust incarceration.

“Amnesty approached me to work on this campaign and wanted to change the way the campaign engages with the public. At first, I was not sure what to do as I had never done an installation based on human rights,” You said.

“But after a little thought, I decided to do a mini-golf course because in putt-putt each hole has various obstacles and I thought that could represent the hurdles standing in the way of each individual's freedom. In that way I made each obstacle on the different mini golf tracks relate to each of the individual's stories,” she said.

The installation featured six holes in total and visitors were able to learn about six young activists around the world who are still unlawfully detained ― from Yasaman a young woman who was arrested for campaigning against the hijab in Iran, to a pair of rescue workers, Sarah and Sean who have been criminalized for rescuing a group of Syrian refugees off the coast of Greece.

You was able to maintain the seriousness of the subject matter while still providing an engaging experience, by focusing on minimal design and maximum impact.

“I wanted the mini-golf course to be entertaining for all ages to enjoy and provide an entertaining way for people to gain awareness about each case of unjust incarceration. To do it justice, I knew it couldn't be cheesy, so I made it very minimal,” she said.

Each visitor was able to be a part of the exhibition by printing a unique message onto the ball they used for the course. After the message is printed onto the ball visitors shoot their ball into a spiral lift machine which transports it to a glass case filled with the golf balls of other visitors which showcase all the messages of solidarity, as part of the exhibition.

As the ball lands, the screen below the glass case takes visitors directly to a website where they can submit their campaign emails electronically in real-time, and also find out more information on the individuals cases as they unfold.

The installation was held for the month of January and the response from the public was overwhelmingly positive.

“Most of the visitors have expressed how moved they were by the installation while also having a good time and leaving with a sense of achievement. So that makes me happy,” You said.

You hopes to continue creating art and designing spaces that tell stories and create change and open conversation in different ways. Visit smallstudiosemi.com to see more of her designs.