The TED Fellow of the day is Sey Min, a multidisciplinary interactive designer and founder of randomwalks, a media art studio in Seoul. Sey works with live data sets in various media formats to create projects that reimagine how humans relate to technology, society, cities, and environments. Combining elements of environmentology, visual art, programming, and storytelling, her projects range from building a real-time interactive information graphics system for a music club to proposing a boundlessness open gallery exhibition system. She recently worked on a project addressing ocean pollution -- particularly the effects of oil spills on our lives -- and at SENSEable City Lab, MIT, as an urban information design researcher.
Q&A with Sey Min:
What are you currently working on?
I am working on randomwalks' ongoing project "redefined city." This project is about how to keep redefining the city's meaning and impression with visitors' and residents' perspectives. randomwalks edits the city's tour package program with visitor feedback, and sends it to the city. The city reedits the package and sends it to randomwalks, and so on until both parties agree. I am also working on an LED facade interactive media art installation for Sindoh headquarters in China.
What do you do for fun?
I do audiovisual VJing with self-developed applications. I am interested in programming visuals, so I'd love to create experimental visuals with computer programs. I love traveling, especially visiting Japanese traditional hot springs. And there are several places I'd like to visit soon, including the Seychelles, the islands of sea turtles, and Ushuaia, Argentina, to see icebergs.
Tell a surprising anecdote about yourself that few people know.
When I first started randomwalks, most people said equal profit-sharing, without a hierarchical system, was too idealistic. Considering tangible and intangible assets equally was not easy. However, I realized that if I made myself director and kept a strong hierarchical structure, there might be nothing special in randomwalks. I decided that nonhierarchical, equal sharing would allow randomwalks to achieve more creatively.
Reminder: submissions for the next round of TEDGlobal Fellows will close March 11. To apply or to recommend an extraordinary candidate, please visit ted.com/fellows.