Project Home Office: Exploring the notion of ‘Home’ myself and with others
Exploratory Design | In-depth Interviews | Prototyping
With Enrol Yourself
Self-initiated project
2018
Since 2013, I have been living in England. I came to London for many reasons, and one of the forces was to find answers to ‘how can I live my life that is positively contributing to the society for the better?’.
In 2018, I asked myself if I wanted to return to South Korea, but I wasn’t sure if it was what I really wanted at that time.
I set myself a deadline - I would give myself half a year to choose between South Korea and London. First, I wanted to provide myself with dedicated time and space to reflect and explore what ‘home’ really meant to me. That’s when I discovered Enrol Yourself - Learning marathon.
Journey
Whilst I was initially interested in exploring the wider societal implications of living a meaningful, in-between and impactful lifestyle, my learning question quickly became deeply personal. I explored myself through conversations, coaching and creative expression; the journey was heartfelt, unravelling many layers of my story.
I interviewed people who moved from one place to another worldwide. Below, I highlighted quotes from my conversations with those wonderful humans.
Outcome & Impact
My reflections led me to devise a project called the ‘Project Home Office’, a creative space allowing people to explore the notion of ‘home’ with others, express emotions and reflect on our respective personal journeys. I came up with this idea whilst creating a set of handmade cards for myself, externalising feelings and thoughts by bringing out questions from deep inside my heart and writing intuitive answers to them.
I presented this journey during our final showcase in London. I also set up a space for visitors to explore their thoughts and creatively express them.
Here are a couple of blog pieces I wrote during the journey:
‘My name is Un Jeong Ko and I’m a social designer currently based in London’
“My motivation was always the curiosity about the world. I feel I can make home wherever I want.”
Continuing my journey with a prototyping mindset
In July 2019, I went back to Seoul, South Korea - with a learning and prototyping mindset.
In early 2022, I came back to England. I have uncovered new insights about myself, and new learning questions have arisen. I have not finished my journey yet, and I will write about it soon!