Meta Zen 촉각 명상 플레이세트 by Yumeng Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award 철상 in 완구, 게임 및 취미 제품 디자인 Competition Category.

철완구· 2024

Meta Zen 촉각 명상 플레이세트

by Yumeng Li

Client: Pear and Mulberry

A' Design Award 철상 Winner in 완구 Category

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The Design

About Meta Zen 촉각 명상 플레이세트

메타 젠은 성인을 위한 명상 플레이세트이자 인테리어 장식을 함께 창조하는 제품입니다. 널리 알려진 선(禪) 미학과 파라메트릭 디자인을 결합한 미니멀한 형태로, 모듈들이 역동적인 모래 패턴을 완성합니다. 3피스 테이블 오브제부터 전체 파사드 장식까지, 몇 분 만에 선(禪)의 분위기를 연출할 수 있습니다. 모듈형 패널에는 자석이 내장되어 조립 시 정밀한 정렬이 용이하며, 시각 장애인, 노인, 손떨림이 있는 사용자에게도 친화적입니다. 특허받은 모듈 시스템은 풍부한 질감과 유기적인 색상이 돋보이며, 완전 생분해성 소재로 제작되었습니다.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 철상

Meta Zen 촉각 명상 플레이세트, 이 작품은 A' Design Award 철상 수상작으로, 잘 디자인된 창작물에 기대되는 전문적·산업적 요건을 충족하는 좋은 디자인에 수여되는 권위 있는 인정입니다. 철상 수상작은 창작자의 뛰어난 기술, 높은 전문성, 전문가다운 이해, 창의적 역량을 보여 줍니다. Meta Zen 촉각 명상 플레이세트, 이 작품은 높이 평가받고 감탄과 사랑을 받는 창작물로서 실용적이고 혁신적일 것으로 기대됩니다. 이 철상 수상 디자인은 업계 모범 사례를 통합하며 노하우와 재능으로 연결된 유능한 기술적 특성을 갖추고 있습니다. Meta Zen 촉각 명상 플레이세트, 이 작품은 철저함으로 존중받으며 삶의 질을 개선하여 세상을 더 나은 곳으로 만들도록 디자인되었습니다.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Meta.Zen is a poetic playset for adults and transformable interior decor designed for community spaces or temporary settings.

Minimalism in forms, the modules complete the dynamic sand pattern organically at any scale and complexity, from a three-piece table object to a whole facade decoration, deploying a Zen atmosphere in minutes.

Modular panels embed magnets to ease precise alignment efforts in building, which is friendly to visually impaired people, elders, and users with hand tremors.
Dimensions & Packaging: Product Dimensions: Width 640 mm x Depth 380 mm x Height 105 mm /
Recommended Age: 5+ Recommended number of players: 1-4 /
Kit includes:
323 * MetaZen Modules,
1 * Pavilions,
4 * Trees,
2 * Lanterns,
1 * Stacked stones.
Tags: decorative, magnetic, puzzle, zen, zen garden, configurable modules, mental therapy, haptic
Production Technology: All modules are reconfigurable to eliminate any redundant purchases for building differently to improve sustainability. All mass-producible parts are made from fully biodegradable PLA. Only natural fibers including bamboo and algae are added to tune natural color and texture.
The patented ridges and valleys geometrically express zen with a hygienic and handy setup forming ever-changing puzzle patterns that improve accessibility and replayability.
Design Challenge: The core challenge was serving two audiences: offering a non-screen anxiety relief for individuals in quarantine and ensuring hotels, even as temporary isolation spaces, offering humane care through natural visuals and a universal zen cultural experience.

Another critical difficulty was ensuring the project allowed for easy reconfiguration by subsequent users over time, with potential future use as a playset for group activities and as an indoor installation adaptable to various scenarios.
Research: Research shows tactile activities reduce quarantine anxiety, digital fatigue, and physical interaction scarcity. Employing widely recognized Zen aesthetics and computational tools, we crafted a modular system based on Taoist principles. With just three angles, it enables infinite Zen landscapes, combining geometric innovation and tactile inclusivity. This approach facilitates easy, unique Zen space creation for meditation, requiring no sand or expertise, prioritizing ease and hygiene.
Inspiration: Zen, is globally acknowledged for cultivating inner peace through performing activities.

Artistic forms follow the aesthetic principles of Zen including simplicity; subtly profound grace, and tranquility.

Aligned with Daoism, one single base module demonstrates a sense of flow; the assembled mysterious patterns reflect the worldview of Buddhism.

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.
Project Duration: Launched in December 2021 and completed in July 2022, this project was initially developed during the pandemic for adults living in collective quarantine settings. It aimed to reduce the anxiety of remote working individuals.
This project won European Product Design Award, and International Design Awards in 2022, and was selected as finalists in Product and User Experience categories of iF Design Award in 2023. It was featured on Yanko Design in January and Puxiang Design in February 2023.
Operation Flow: Zen Culture: Facilitates self-meditation and stress relief for adults, promoting inner balance through playful interaction.

Inclusive: Features guided magnetic assembly and tactile patterns, offering a multisensory, accessible experience.

Community & Sustainability: This art form's flexibility encourages communal creativity and sustainable decor changes, supporting social meditation and Wabi-Sabi appreciation. Its durable design allows for versatile display, embodying both reusability and aesthetic adaptability.
Patents: Patented. 63/404,074. PEAR & MULBERRY. 2022. USPTO.
Copyrights belong to Yumeng Li.