“Verdure Tapestry” – When Textile Art Becomes an Immersive Experience

The French Institute in Romania invites you to visit the “Verdure Tapestry” installation by French artist Lauriane Obry, open until May 25 as part of Romanian Design Week 2025.

“Verdure Tapestry” offers a unique immersive experience at the intersection of textile art, augmented reality, and digital interaction. Inspired by two traditional tapestries from the collection of the National Museum of Art of Romania, the installation reimagines how we perceive and interact with textiles. The fabric becomes a living canvas, encouraging reflection and rediscovery, transforming both space and viewer perception.

The project is supported by Agora du Design and Institut français (Paris), in partnership with Orange Romania.

Lauriane Obry, a graduate of ENSCI–Les Ateliers and the Manufacture des Gobelins, blends traditional craftsmanship with new technologies, rethinking the role of tapestry in the contemporary world. Her project redefines the form, function, and perception of woven textiles, emphasizing the creative process and reviving the immersive nature of decorative arts.

Visitors are invited to interact with digital elements using their smartphones. Through digital tools—lighting, mobile devices, and augmented reality—new dimensions of the fabric are revealed, showcasing animations, proportions, and intricate details. The tapestry becomes a coded portal, rich in information and offering a new way of engaging with heritage textiles.

“Verdure Tapestry” is open from May 16–25, 2025, in the historic former CINA restaurant building (10 Benjamin Franklin Street, Bucharest), part of the RDW Design Flags section, featuring key international exhibitions from Austria, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Hungary, Czech Republic, Denmark, and Moldova.

For visiting hours and tickets: https://bilete.romaniandesignweek.ro/
Photo credit: Stéphane “Sby” Balmy / @sbyconnection

The “Verdure Tapestry” installation, presented by the French Institute in Romania as part of Romanian Design Week 2025, is also part of the cultural season “French Spring TOGETHER.” Running from March to June 2025, this season marks the centenary of the French Institute in Romania, celebrating 100 years of cultural, scientific, and educational cooperation between France and Romania, with a focus on youth, contemporary creation, research, and civic engagement.

Founded in Bucharest on May 30, 1924, the French Institute in Romania now also operates in Cluj, Iași, and Timișoara.

A project by The Institute, Romanian Design Week is Romania’s leading multidisciplinary festival for creative industries, promoting design, architecture, creativity, and innovation as drivers of cultural, social, and economic development.

The 13th edition of Romanian Design Week takes place from May 16–25, 2025, in three central Bucharest venues: the historic CINA building in George Enescu Square, Casa Fratelli, and the National Museum of Art of Romania. Under the theme “Design Tomorrow Today,” this year’s festival features 10 local collaborative exhibitions, 12 international shows, one immersive installation, four public space interventions, and over 140 events citywide.