Salt in motion: The body’s ionic exchange
Salt is a mineral found throughout biological, ecological, and chemical systems. Salt in Motion is an interactive installation that explores the connection between the Romanian saline landscape, the human body, and healing practices associated with salt mines and springs. Within the installation, salt appears in three physical states: salt rocks (solid), brine (solution), and airborne particles (aerosol). It features a proximity-sensor-hacked halogenerator system combined with carved salt rocks from the Ocnele Mari mine. The device disperses aerosolized salt in controlled environments, a wellness treatment rooted in speleotherapy, the exposure to salt-mine microclimates known to benefit respiratory conditions.
The installation includes a brine-filled tank that evokes the tradition of bathing at salt springs, where locals once collected brine for domestic use. The vase filled with crystallised mud is based on a reconstruction from fragments of briquetage salt containers from the Bronze Age, discovered at the Valea Sărată–Gherla site by Gaia and Marius Alexianu, an ethnoarchaeologist and leading scholar on the anthropology of salt who has directed multiple research projects on the cultural, ritual, and technological practices surrounding salt in Romania from prehistory to the present.
The installation includes a brine-filled tank that evokes the tradition of bathing at salt springs, where locals once collected brine for domestic use. The vase filled with crystallised mud is based on a reconstruction from fragments of briquetage salt containers from the Bronze Age, discovered at the Valea Sărată–Gherla site by Gaia and Marius Alexianu, an ethnoarchaeologist and leading scholar on the anthropology of salt who has directed multiple research projects on the cultural, ritual, and technological practices surrounding salt in Romania from prehistory to the present.
Project for Design Signals: Chemical Bonds from Faber
Credits
Photo installation: Alex Todirică
Technical partnership: Salrom (Salt rocks),
Prizma Ltd (Halogenerator)
Sensor design: Werner van der Zwan
3D Renders: Davide Busnelli
3D Printing: Sara Levato
