MEUW: Pale Pink Silicone Creatures Question Human-Animal Bonds at Milan Design Week 2026

At Milan Design Week 2026, Jaemo Lee and Lisa Schober presented MEUW (Socius novus), a family of soft, pale pink silicone creatures at the abandoned Baggio Military Hospital in Milan. The installation was part of the HEAD – Genève Master in Interior Architecture (MAIA) group show 'No One Sees Them Like We Do. Notes on Animal Interiors,' led by Youri Kravtchenko with assistants David Valadomiu Ceballos and Marie Schild. The translucent, vaguely amphibian forms invite touch and interaction, simulating companionship without being pets or robots. The project critiques the reptile pet industry, particularly leopard gecko breeding and trading, and references Carlo Mollino's Walking Dragon (1964) and David Cronenberg's eXistenZ. The creatures are made entirely of colored 3D-printed silicone, cast in custom molds with a 10-minute working time. The largest weighs nearly 12 kg. Visitors were initially hesitant but soon engaged haptically, transferring movement to the objects. The work questions whether intimacy can be simulated without domination and explores the desire for connection versus the inability to sustain coexistence with living beings.