Playset for Meditation | Tactile Therapy
PEAR & MULBERRY, 2022
Partner: ILSA Y. Li
Keywords: Configurable Modules, Mental therapy, Haptic
Tools: Grasshopper, Rhino, Keyshot, 3D printing
Meta.Zen is targeted at adults, who are living alone under the extra pressure of the fast-paced urban routine during the pandemic, and longing for self-mediation and a cure for mid-week blues.
Forms follow the principles in Zen: Kanso: simplicity; Yugen: subtly profound grace, and Seijaku: tranquility.
The patented modular design is quaint, with rich texture and organically tinted material that is fully biodegradable. Functionally, it embeds magnets to ease precise alignment efforts in building, making it accessible to visually impaired people, the elderly, and those with hand tremors.
Idea
Zen, is globally acknowledged for cultivating inner peace through performing activities.
Meta.Zen enables self-meditation through playing, especially for adults to relieve stress from work and gain inner state balance with graceful pleasure.
It conveys the wisdom of simplexity: Identical base modules can be rearranged into millions of combinations, forming the system in play that manifests wabi-sabi both aesthetically and functionally.
Universal modules with magnets embedded are aiming to ease precise alignment efforts in building, which embrace a broader user group including visually impaired people in a more tactile leisure experience.
Forms
Artistic forms following the aesthetic principles in Zen including Kanso (簡素): simplicity; Yugen (幽玄): subtly profound grace, and Seijaku (静寂): tranquility, have an ethical connotation and pervade much of the eastern culture now appreciated universally.
Aligned with Daoism, one single base module demonstrates a sense of flow; the assembled mysterious patterns reflect the worldview of Buddhism. These together, deliver aesthetic experience and wisdom in playing.
Profound without ostentation: Divergent textures on modules not only help practice geometric logic, but also provide tactile pleasure for visually impaired users.
Geometric Mathematics
The patented ridges and valleys geometrically express zen with a hygienic and handy setup forming ever-changing puzzle patterns, and improving accessibility and replayability.
Why is it different?
Meta.Zen is targeted at adults, who are living alone under the extra pressure of the fast-paced urban routine during the pandemic, and longing for self-mediation and a cure for mid-week blues.
Minimalism in forms, concentrating Zen aesthetics, the reconfigurable portable modules complete the dynamic sand pattern organically at any scale and complexity, from a three-piece table object to a whole facade decoration, which deploys a Zen atmosphere in minutes.
Haptic playing is proven to be effective to relieve stress, anxiety, and depression accumulated in quarantine during covid-19. Multi-sensory activation and intelligent puzzle system from Meta.Zen exercises the brain and prevents senile dementia.
Self-guided Assembly
The modules embed magnets to create a self-guided assembly system. The finished puzzle precisely holds together even on a vertical facade, showcasing the user's design as an extendable, reconfigurable decoration.
System in Play
Unlike other block-building toys, MetaZen modules can be mix-matched to create various layouts. With special editions added in, the playing system keeps enriching and evolving itself.