Fluid Dynamics is a series of lighting objects by Théophile Blandet developed during a month-long residency at Hamilton Central Europe in Timișoara, Romania. The company is a major European producer of microlitre syringes and high-precision laboratory instruments, serving global research and medical markets.
Working within the constraints of a highly regulated industrial environment defined by hygiene protocols, security systems, and advanced manufacturing standards, Blandet sourced discarded syringe components directly from the facility’s waste streams. These high-precision plastic elements—normally engineered for laboratory accuracy—were reassembled into two functional lighting objects.
Interaction is central to the work. The syringes act as dimming mechanisms: pressing them modulates light intensity. A calibrated medical gesture becomes a tactile lighting control. Through this translation, light is treated as a measurable and compressible medium, conceptually aligned with fluid handling technologies.
The project also foregrounds questions of material value and context. Components engineered for global pharmaceutical supply chains are redirected into design objects with distinct economic and cultural positioning. Their availability is strictly site-specific; the materials are accessible only within the industrial ecosystem that produces them.
Fluid Dynamics was presented by Faber (Timișoara) as part of the exhibition Design Signals, curated by Martina Muzi at Alcova, Milan, during Salone del Mobile 2025.
Project Info
Artist: Théophile Blandet
Year: 2025
Exhibition: Design Signals, Alcova, Milan (Salone del Mobile 2025)
Presented by: Faber, Timișoara
Image Credit: Eugenio Consentino; Alex Todirică
Video: Alex Todirică
