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Merlett is an interactive artifact made from vent tubes, transformed into a fragile, worm-like creature. Using movement, sound, and touch, it invites care, empathy, and reflection, exploring emotional connections with materials and machines beyond function or utility.
Concept
Merlett explores emotional connections with materials and machines. Vent tubes, usually industrial and rigid, are transformed into a fragile, worm-like artifact that moves, vibrates, and responds to touch. It challenges traditional design by prioritizing expressivity and ambiguity over utility.
Interaction
Visitors engage through hand movements: plucking, tracing, interlocking, or caressing, which trigger haptic, visual, and auditory responses. These interactions range from discomfort to empathy, creating a space for reflection on care, connection, and human–machine relationships.
Process
The design followed a material-driven and research-through-design approach. By experimenting with aluminum and plastic vent tubes, layering movement, sound, and tactile feedback, Merlett became a dynamic, performative object with life-like qualities. Ambiguity and unpredictability guided the iterations.
