Yaolan Violet Luo

Department: Information Design
Website: www.yaolanluo.com

AMNESIA STATE

Amnesia State deals with the behaviour of both the individual and the official bodies in an information environment that is constantly monitored and censored by the authorities. The protection of national ideology legitimizes over-control of the mass media, supported by a massive force of technology and people. Amnesia State is a metaphorical rendering of the delicate symbiosis between state and individual on the Internet, a habitat where a sophisticated surveillance system instantaneously filters reality – a reality that keeps being fuelled by creative enthusiasts looking for socio-political change.

In a climate of anxiety and fear, locked within the surveillance infrastructure, the creative alliance is building up a civic wall – moving the spotlights from high-profile individuals to greater crowds of citizens who are less visible. The flowering of information technology has not only created new opportunities for surveillance but it has also opened up a new social laboratory: a significant step in the democratic process and an important tool to defend freedom of speech.

Digital amnesia is not only a satirical comment on the context of censorship. It aims at sharing genuine concerns about the default of digital remembering and global mass surveillance. Could this design metaphor evade the strict warning lines and reach as many audiences as possible? Can creativity lead us to think differently about civic freedom in the digital age? Landscapes