ADS3: HORROR

Diplomacy is changing. The embassy – an outmoded tool of political negotiation – has been made redundant, its traditional functions superseded by modern communication and outsourced to the private sector. Yet despite now lying empty, as Potemkin façades of international presence, embassies retain a uniquely privileged position of immunity from the laws and regulations of their host states, operating unchecked in a sacrosanct realm of inviolability. This project explores how, facing redundancy, the entrepreneur– ambassador could reconfigure the diplomatic mission, exploiting immunity to transform the embassy into a vehicle for advancing ‘soft power’ influence, hosting institutions that function beyond the realms of UK law.