The exhibition “Chemical Connections” from FABER is a collaborative project bridging design, industry, and research. The exhibition features commissioned works, research outcomes, and industrial archives, turning invisible chemical processes into tangible materials, installations, and narratives for the public.
Curated by Martina Muzi (designer and professor at Design Academy Eindhoven), “Chemical Connections” offers a fresh perspective on Romania’s chemical industry — often viewed through the lens of pollution — by highlighting its essential role in daily life, from agriculture to textiles and technology.
The exhibition includes works that explore themes such as galvanization, bioplastics, salt as an industrial ritual, industrial waste, and green transition. It acts as a laboratory where design translates complex processes into accessible forms of knowledge and dialogue.
Part of the Design Signals program — now in its third edition — the exhibition continues FABER’s mission to create collaboration between design, research, and industry. It follows previous exhibitions “Warning Signs – Design is Not a Dashboard” (2023) and “Woven Secrets” (2024), further establishing FABER as a national platform for experimental design with international relevance.
“Chemical Connections” brings together Romanian and international designers, in direct dialogue with factories, researchers and journalists:
Audrey Large – Hot-Dip Immersion: on galvanization between protection and vulnerability
Gaia D’Arrigo – Salt in Motion: an interactive installation about salt, mining, and the body
Andreea Tron – Unusual Material: compostable bioplastics turned into architectural and textile surfaces
Benedetta Pompili – Le Sere: furniture made from industrial residues and reclaimed copper
Krisenstab & Norbert Petrovici – Chemical Trajectories: data visualizations about the transformation of Romania’s chemical industry
Patricia Cîrtog, Marian Ignat & Susanna Tomassini – Zoom In: visual essays on the green transition and industrial policy impacts
Martina Muzi, curator of the Design Signals program, designer and design professor at Design Academy Eindhoven, about the exhibition concept:
“Chemical Connections does not offer simplified answers, but creates space for new interdependencies. In a sector seen as opaque and inaccessible, design becomes a tool for visibility and connection — bringing together factories, designers, researchers, communities, and the public.”
The project draws from the research report “Learning Regimes and Capacity Building in an Advanced Peripheral Economy: The Romanian Chemical Industry” by sociologist Norbert Petrovici, which outlines the evolution of this industry — from state-led integration in the socialist era to today’s fragmented and under-supported system.
Despite current challenges, the report reveals emerging collaborations between universities, research institutes (such as ICECHIM, ICCF), and companies (Terapia, Zentiva, Unilever, BASF), hinting at a possible reconnection between science and production.
In parallel, the FABER team conducted its own field research over five months, visiting more than 20 industrial sites across Romania. Their findings — interviews, photos, and material samples — form a visual and material archive that is part of the exhibition.
Rooted in Timișoara, “Chemical Connections” resonates with the city’s industrial heritage, especially the historic Azur paint and varnish factory, where FABER is located. The exhibition reflects on this legacy while opening dialogue about the future of production and design’s role in economic systems.
The exhibition can be visited until November 16, 2025, from Tuesday to Friday, between 12:00 and 20:00, Saturday between 11:00 and 22:00 and Sunday between 11:00 and 18:00.
