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# Project Description The Object is Present Shuyuan Zheng Summary Final work I'm a practitioner-researcher working in critical design and Industrial design, with a focus on object expression, de-functionalisation, and post-anthropocentric methods. My current inquiry explores how design can construct non-linear, non-instrumental modes of interaction, allowing objects to act as participants in meaning-making rather than passive tools. I'm a practitioner-researcher working in critical design and Industrial design, with a focus on o... College Central Saint Martins Course MA Industrial Design Graduation year 2025 The Object is Present is a critical design project that questions anthropocentric thinking and reimagines objects as more than functional tools—as participants in shared meaning. Through experimental artefacts and systems, the project explores how objects might “express” and “respond,” not through utility, but through ambiguity and presence. It shifts design from serving users to enabling objects to have a form of 'voice'. Using sensors and symbolic generation, the system creates open-ended interactions. Responses from the objects are not instructive, but suggestive—prompting users to interpret and reflect. This is not just a technical experiment, but an attempt to develop a new language between humans and things. Rather than solving problems, the project proposes objects as cultural provocations. Design becomes a space of dialogue, not direction. Final work A modular interface designed for things: once attached, it transforms an object into a subtle medium of expression and exchange. The object speaks in shapes and colours—Processing renders its sensations into a language without grammar. Share this project The Object is Present is a critical design project that questions anthropocentric thinking and reimagines objects as more than functional tools—as participants in shared meaning.Through experimental artefacts and systems, the project explo... A link to this page has been added to your clipboard Browse related work Beyond Human
# Links ## Official page - https://ualshowcase.arts.ac.uk/project/648692/cover ## External - https://www.instagram.com/Shuyuan_zz - mailto:shuyuanzheng53@gmail.com - https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F648692%2Fcover&text=The+Object+is+Present - https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fualshowcase.arts.ac.uk%2Fproject%2F648692%2Fcover&media=https%3A%2F%2Fportfolio-tools.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2025%2F06%2F06183131%2FWechatIMG2717-1.jpg&description=The+Object+is+Present