System of Ranks

Embroidered Insignia, Printed forms, Field-survey Installation

System of Ranks is a speculative design project that examines how educational environments can mirror the hierarchical logic of military systems. Using the U.S. enlisted-rank structure as a framework, I created a full set of embroidered insignia and redesigned administrative forms that assign fictional military ranks to students and faculty based on academic metrics such as training, skills, awards, and experience.

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During the exhibition, participants wore their assigned insignia, turning the gallery into a regimented classroom. By staging school as an army, the project reveals how meritocratic systems reduce complex individuals into comparable units, flattening identity, labor, and personal history into simplified symbols of “success.”