INTERLINK
CREATIVE LAB
big Ideas, small Impact
KORP ECOSYSTEM
Inquiry, Consequence and Creative Mediation
Context and Purpose
The present Idea establishes the conceptual, ethical and operational framework:
Interlink Creative Lab
.
Interlink Creative Lab .
our ecosystem
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Korp Foundation for Arts and Science
(…) an international platform for artistic research, critical thinking, and systemic advocacy. Founded by philanthropist and art patron Stefan Nilsson, Korp serves as a living laboratory and academy - both conceptual and physical - uniting artists, curators, scientists, and researchers across disciplines and geographies. (…)
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Ramn
(…) We build and invest in companies designed for Earth's actual conditions, ventures where circular models demonstrate operational superiority, where natural capital regeneration creates competitive advantage, and where planetary intelligence reveals market shifts before consensus. (…)
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understory
(…) we bring together environmental monitoring, earth observation companies, and publicly available data that measure different parts of planetary health – atmosphere, land, water, life – to reveal hidden patterns and relationships. our goal is to turn fragmented information into insight that helps businesses and society prepare, adapt, and thrive in a changing world. (…)
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Interlink Creative Lab
(working title)
While these entities share a common founder, aligned values, and overlapping intellectual territories, they operate across distinct legal forms, economic logics and semantic domains. This separation is intentional and essential.
Rather than functioning as a corporate group or cultural holding, this ecosystem operates as a living, distributed system, where inquiry, action and translation remain structurally differentiated yet in constant dialogue.
in discussion
The role and limits of the Korp Foundation
The operational domains of ramn and Understory
The necessity for an independent creative mediation layer
The rationale for establishing a Creative Studio distinct from the Foundation
The ethical handling of legacy creative portfolios.
Korp Foundation for Arts and Science
The Realm of Inquiry
Korp Foundation for Arts and Science is an international platform for artistic research, scientific inquiry and systemic reflection. Its mandate is cultural, educational and epistemic.
The Foundation exists to
Question dominant systems (economic, ecological, technological, social)
Create space for non-instrumental artistic and scientific thinking
Develop new narratives, imaginaries and frameworks of understanding
Operate as a living laboratory and academy — conceptual and physical
Core Principle
Artistic and scientific inquiry within the Foundation is not a means to an external end. It is an end in itself.
For this reason:
The Foundation does not provide creative services
It does not undertake commissioned work for corporate entities
It does not act as a branding, communication or innovation unit
It does not monetise artistic or research outputs
Any use of the Foundation as a creative or strategic resource for commercial actors would be deontologically, ethically and legally inappropriate.
The Foundation’s role is to generate questions, not solutions.
Its outputs inform culture, discourse and long-term systemic awareness — not short-term application.
ramn and understory
The Realm of Inquiry
Where the Foundation operates in the space of inquiry, ramn and Understory operate in the space of consequence.
ramn
ramn is a company builder and investor deploying intergenerational capital aligned with planetary reality. It operates within the economic system, while refusing extractive assumptions embedded in dominant growth models.
ramn, builds and invests in ventures designed for Earth’s actual conditions.
Integrates ecological intelligence, circularity, systems thinking and long-term value creation
Engages directly with markets, founders and capital allocation
understory
Understory operates as a planetary intelligence and systems insight platform, bringing together environmental monitoring, earth observation and public data to reveal patterns across climate, land, water and life systems.
understory translates fragmented planetary data into actionable insight.
Supports resilience, adaptation and systemic preparedness.
Serves organisations navigating physical and ecological risk.
Both entities
Operate legally and economically independent from the Foundation.
May be informed by cultural and scientific thinking emerging from Korp.
Cannot, and should not, use the Foundation as a creative or service provider.
The Structural Gap
Why a Creative Mediation Layer Is Necessary
A clear structural gap exists between
Non-instrumental inquiry
(Korp Foundation)
Operational decision-making and market engagement (ramn / Understory)
This gap concerns
Creative translation
Narrative construction
Systems-oriented design thinking
Strategic imagination applied to real-world challenges
Without a dedicated structure, there is a risk of
Instrumentalising the Foundation
Blurring legal and ethical boundaries
Confusing cultural inquiry with commercial output
(Working title)
INTERLINK CREATIVE LAB/
Purpose
INTERLINK CREATIVE LAB is conceived as an autonomous creative and strategic studio operating alongside ramn and Understory, while remaining institutionally separate from the Korp Foundation.
Its role is to:
Translate complex systems thinking into applied creative frameworks.
Develop narratives, concepts and strategic design for corporate and institutional contexts.
Support portfolio companies, partners and collaborators of ramn and understory.
Address real-world challenges through creative intelligence.
Positioning
INTERLINK operates:
/ Within the corporate and applied domain
/ Outside the Foundation
/ In alignment with shared values, but not under artistic mandate
It does not produce art for art’s sake, nor does it instrumentalise art as content. Instead, it applies creative intelligence, informed by systems thinking, ecology, culture and science — to complex organisational and societal challenges.
Creative action and Ethics
To preserve integrity across the ecosystem:
The Creative Lab is an integrated entity It may share Creative Direction with ramn / Understory.
It does not share governance or operational control with the Foundation.
No Foundation artworks, research outputs or residency projects are used commercially.
Any financial surplus generated by the Creative Lab may:
Be reinvested into ramn / Understory projects.
Be donated to the Korp Foundation in a transparent and arms-length manner.
This ensures:
Legal compliance
Ethical clarity
Institutional trust
(*) On the Use of the YUP Visual Studio PortfolioTo preserve integrity across the ecosystem:
The Creative Lab may draw upon the experience, methodologies and capabilities developed through YUP Visual Studio’s 20+ year practice.
However, caution is required regarding:
Legacy client associations (e.g. Nike, BMW, global celebrities).
Potential conceptual dissonance with planetary and post-extractive values.
Possible approach
Emphasise process, systems thinking and long-term collaboration, ?not brand names?.
Curate references selectively and contextually
Position past work as technical and strategic competence, not ideological alignment.
The Creative Lab’s identity should be forward-facing, defined by what it is building now,not by who it once served.
One Ecosystem, Clear Boundaries
This structure enables:
The Foundation to remain a space of radical, non-instrumental inquiry.
ramn and Understory to act decisively in the world of consequence.
The Creative Lab to operate as a bridge, without collapsing domains.
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/ Inquiry precedes action.
/ Action generates responsibility.
/ Creativity mediates between the two.