‚Pure Objects‘ ‚Pure Secrets‘ ‚Secret Exchange‘ // Plastics and Textiles
North Korea is one of the most isolated countries today and as the rest of the world continues to further integrate information technology into nearly every aspect of life, North Koreans have very restricted access to the internet and limited communication with foreign cultures. For information gathering and access to cultural expressions of other countries they heavily rely on smuggled, black market goods such as USB drives, DVDs and printed material. While almost every family owns these items, they are kept in secrecy. ‘Pure Forms’ is a series of carrier accessories that are designed to reflect on the importance of these smuggled items and the secrecy in which they are shrouded by both concealing and revealing the objects within.
Additionally, these accessories are based on and embellished by the traditional Korean Norigae, a good-luck charm, which is repurposed as an everyday accessory. In so doing, Jessie English is reinventing a disappearing cultural artifact, which serves as a reminder of a once-united Korea. While North and South Korea are developing in drastically different directions, the underground exchange of media remains a significant connection.