Meta Zen Seti Taaloga Mafaufauga e Pa'i by Yumeng Li

Meta Zen Seti Taaloga Mafaufauga e Pa'i by Yumeng Li is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2024 A' Design Award Uʻamea in Mamanu Mea Ta'alo Competition Category.

UʻameaMea Ta'alo· 2024

Meta Zen Seti Taaloga Mafaufauga e Pa'i

by Yumeng Li

Client: Pear and Mulberry

A' Design Award Uʻamea Winner in Mea Ta'alo Category

42,024

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #158221

Visit Site View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Meta Zen Seti Taaloga Mafaufauga e Pa'i

O le Meta Zen o se seti taaloga mafaufauga mo tagata matutua ma e mafai ai fo'i ona fai teuteutoga i totonu o fale. O le faigofie o foliga, fa'aogaina ai le mamanu Zen lauiloa ma le mamanu parametric, o nei vaega e fa'aatiina ai mamanu oneone malosi, e amata mai se mea laulau e tolu vaega se'ia o'o i teuteutoga fa'aalo atoa, ma fa'atūina ai se si'osi'omaga Zen i ni nai minute. O pane vaega o lo'o fa'apipi'i ai maneta e fa'afaigofie ai le tu'ufa'atasia sa'o i le fausiaina, lea e lelei mo tagata e le vaai lelei, toeaina, ma tagata e gatete lima. O le faiga vaega pateni e matagofie lona pa'i ma mauoloa ma lanu fa'alenatura mai mea e pala atoatoa.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Uʻamea

O le A' Design Award Uʻamea na manumalo ai Meta Zen Seti Taaloga Mafaufauga e Pa'i, o se faamaoniga mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu lelei e faataunuu ai manaʻoga faapolofesa ma pisinisi e faamoemoeina mai galuega ua mamanuina lelei. O ē manumalo i le Uʻamea e faaalia ai le tomai tele, le faapitoa maualuga, le malamalama o tagata poto ma le mafai fatufatuaʻi o ē na faia. E faamoemoeina Meta Zen Seti Taaloga Mafaufauga e Pa'i e avea ma mea ua matuā vivii, mataʻina ma pelepelea e aogā ma fou. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Uʻamea e tuufaatasia ai faiga sili o le pisinisi ma e iai uiga faatekonolosi mafai ua fesoʻotaʻi ma le poto ma le taleni. Ona o lona faatuatuaina, e tatau ai Meta Zen Seti Taaloga Mafaufauga e Pa'i ona faaaloalogia ma ua mamanuina e tuuina mai ai faaleleiga o le olaga e fesoasoani e faia ai e le lalolagi se nofoaga e sili atu ona lelei.

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.