On acid: Studio uses toxic chemicals to create Brandstanding art

Italy – Design studio Fabrica has created an art project that uses the toxic properties of acid to 'paint' portraits of women on metal plates as part of its work for UN Women.

The work, Facing, consists of six rusted metal plates. Artists applied acid to certain parts of the plates, which ate away the rust to reveal the shiny metal beneath. Facing shows how the destructive nature of acid was turned into something positive. 'The campaign has a double meaning – celebration and warning at the same time – and confronts us with the question of why women are so often the victims of violence rather than subjects of respect,' says the studio.

The metal plates will be auctioned next year, with proceeds going to UN Women, the United Nations agency that promotes gender equality and empowerment of women. As part of the same project, Fabrica worked with United Colors of Benetton on its new global campaign to raise awareness of violence against women.

The collaboration between three disparate entities – a design studio, a fashion brand and a UN group – is exemplary of Brandstanding, where brands showcase social causes through novel campaigns. For more, see our Innovate on Kenzo's No Fish No Nothing campaign.