Design. Wspólny język

Design is our shared language: a project connecting Poland and Romania

As part of the Poland–Romania Cultural Season 2024–2025, Romanian Design Week and Łódź Design Festival present Design is our shared language – a joint initiative that transforms public space into a place of dialogue, closeness, and shared experience. It is a celebration of design as a universal language that connects cities, cultures, and communities.

One idea, two installations, two cities, one message

In May, the residents of Bucharest and Łódź will encounter an interactive urban installation designed to bring strangers together and create spaces for meetings in the heart of both cities. Developed jointly by Romanian and Polish architects, the project carries a shared message: public space should support a sense of belonging, and interventions like this are key to building residents’ relationships with their cities.

In Bucharest, the installation will be located along Calea Victoriei – a representative avenue that transforms into a pedestrian zone on weekends, becoming an open space for encounters and urban exploration.

In Łódź, the project will begin its city-wide journey at the WOŚP Square – a location symbolizing the city’s dynamic transformation and unique revitalization process, which is creating new, resident-friendly spaces.

The installation will then be presented in various urban locations and during major events. Its first stop is Art_Inkubator in Łódź, the venue of the Łódź Design Festival.

BAZA and 2×3 Studio – architectural studios invited to collaborate by the festivals – co-designed the installations for both cities, engaging in meetings and discussions. By merging different design approaches, they created works that are both site-specific and universal in their message, highlighting the power and significance of cross-cultural collaboration.

By transforming everyday urban locations into colorful, dynamic, and interactive environments, the project demonstrates design’s ability to foster spontaneous interactions and community engagement. It is a living example of how thoughtful design can bring people and cities closer together.

While Bucharest struggles with a lack of accessible green and social spaces, Łódź is undergoing a major revitalization. Both cities are in search of new forms that invite people to gather, connect, and build a sense of community.

More than a project – a cultural bridge

As one of the key events of the Poland–Romania Cultural Season, this project perfectly reflects the mission of the entire bilateral program: strengthening ties between countries through art, design, and meaningful cooperation. By encouraging residents to discover another culture within their own city, the project shows how design can break down barriers, spark curiosity, and bring people together.

Design is our shared language reminds us of something fundamental: good design solves problems, but great design transforms the world — speaking across cultures.

The POLAND–ROMANIA Cultural Season 2024–2025 is organized by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of Poland and the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, with the support of the Polish Institute in Bucharest, the Romanian Ministry of Culture, and the Romanian Cultural Institute. The season features dozens of events: exhibitions, concerts, theater performances, film screenings, and literary events.

2×3

2×3 is a Polish design studio specializing in exhibition design, visual identity, urban installations, and interior arrangements. We believe that every idea deserves a meaningful spatial interpretation — one that turns concepts into tangible experiences that engage and inspire audiences. Our work is firmly rooted in understanding the cultural, social, and spatial context, which forms the foundation of our participatory approach to design.

BAZA – Opening up the city through design

Founded in 2016, BAZA. Deschidem orașul is a Bucharest-based architects’ association focused on urban interventions with strong social and cultural impact. Their mission is to form a vibrant, multidisciplinary community working toward a more open, inclusive, and innovative city.

Their work spans urban regeneration, research, formal and informal education, and support for young creative professionals. Through this project, BAZA brings their experience and vision into a shared European conversation on how design can reshape public life.

“Design is our shared language”

The project by 2×3 Studio is a system of modular urban seating that encourages users to create their own arrangements conducive to interaction and integration. Inspired by the idea of architecture as a universal language, it speaks through form and function. Placed in Łódź – a city that has undergone a revitalization process in recent years – the installation invites people to pause, connect, and admire the city together, proving that design can build shared space beyond words.

A study on the chair and its role in the city

The installation developed by BAZA is, at its core, a study of the chair in public space. By scaling and repeating this everyday object, BAZA reimagines the chair as more than a seat — it becomes a gathering space, a playful structure, or even a secret hideout for high school students.

The main design strategy was to gradually shift the scale of a regular chair, transforming it into a new architectural element. The chair, with its basic role intact, becomes a construction unit — a playful, open-ended form that invites interaction. As it grows and multiplies, it generates unexpected uses and new spatial experiences.

This approach not only preserves the functional essence of the chair, but also enhances it — turning it into a catalyst for community, conversation, and spontaneity in the public realm.