PROJECT TITLE

Unfolded Defense

Jean Jingran Zhang

PROJECT VIDEO

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rmnRJ0bf0bZWilFPWXGTm-qzlUQ3vD5k/view?usp=sharing

DESCRIPTION AND CONCEPT

Inspired by the frilled lizard’s defensive transformation and the mimosa’s touch-induced fold, Unfolded Defense was designed as a paire of changeable ear frill. The piece is shown as earhooks whose petal-like frills mechanically unfold/close via a hidden hand-held string, translating micro-gestures and interpersonal distance into visible change. When others approach, the wearer can tense or release the string to modulate openness, showing the defense or calm states.

A second layer of reference comes from the frilled lizard’s blood-flow modulation that shifts skin appearance. Echoing this, a slim LED strip routes along the frills to visualize “circulation”: when the device is activated through items approaching, light pulses travel through the structure like flowing blood, signaling arousal, alertness, or self-protection in response to proximity.

By turning reflex into choreography, the work frames a quiet human truth: our bodies negotiate safety and exposure long before words. Unfolded Defense is both ornament and interface as it is shown as a small kinetic sculpture that listens, resists, and responds through motion and light.

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

• Unfolded Defense explores the tension between vulnerability and protection through a responsive earhook that physically unfolds when approached or manually triggered. Drawing from the defensive gestures of the frilled lizard and the sensitivity of the mimosa plant, this accessory investigates how in fashion it can act as an emotional interface, revealing the body’s instinctive negotiation between openness and defense. The work translates inner reflexes into mechanical and lighting transformations, turning emotion into motion and light.
• The inspiration for Unfolded Defense originates from the self-protective behavior and internal biological structure of the frilled lizard. When threatened, the lizard rapidly expands the membrane around its neck through a ring of cartilage and blood-filled capillaries, transforming its body shape into a larger, more intimidating silhouette. This physiological reflex which is both mechanical and expressive became a key reference for translating biological defense into a wearable form. The project also draws from Katharina D. Martin’s project Defensive Mechanisms, a series of wearable devices that mimic animal postures such as puffing, curling, and spiking in reaction to external stimuli. Her work inspired the integration of mechanical motion as an emotional metaphor, showing how instinctive animal defenses can be reimagined as poetic, human-scaled gestures. By merging these natural mechanisms with body-based interaction, Unfolded Defense seeks to visualize the invisible boundary between sensitivity and self-protection through motion and light.

Frilled Lizard | National Geographic