Objects with Life
Portia Chiu // Master of Industrial Design // class 2026 // Rhode Island School of Design
Our everyday environments are filled with functional objects that make our lives work, yet they often remain emotionally and perceptually invisible until the moment they are needed. For those who experience fragmented attention, a trait central to ADHD, static objects frequently vanish from awareness once they fall out of immediate focus.
This made me wonder: What if static objects are no longer passive tools, but active participants in our domestic environments?
Inspired by this inquiry, my work animates the inanimate. By investigating how motion can carry intentionality and meaning, I explore the potential for a new behavioral interaction between humans and their belongings. Through iterative mechanical prototyping and behavioral design, my thesis examines how movement can reclaim attention, offering a lens for understanding empathy and cognition while ultimately redefining the relationship between the human mind and the material world.
Click to see updates of work: - SP26 4/15
- SP26 Mid Review