Splot Design: Between Art and Contemporary Inspiration

Meet Svetlana Golubeva, founder of Splot Design, a project born in Piacenza in 2018 that blends creativity and craftsmanship, transforming raw materials into works of art. The collections, inspired by the tradition of High Craftsmanship, narrate an Italian-ness of prestige and exclusivity by combining craftsmanship with recycled luxury materials, and offering limited editions or customizable one-of-a-kind pieces.

Splot Design is an example of high craftsmanship, made of unique artifacts with an absolutely contemporary design. Tell us how this project was born and why.

To tell the origins of SPLOT I have to talk about my roots in the Soviet Union: a place of extraordinary simplicity, but also of poverty.We children were forced to look for the key to creating games, but also everyday objects, in recycled materials. That vein, which today we would define as ecological, was then an integral part of our lives, a necessity that taught us to see the value in the unexpected and the used, transforming what was discarded into a treasure.In 2000 I made my trip to Italy and started working in a manufacturing industry. It was here, day after day, that I saw mountains of waste destined for landfill. This was my turning point. I felt a calling to reinvent these discarded materials into timeless works of art.With this perspective I shaped SPLOT, a fusion of art and ecology, a symbol of rebirth. Since then, every piece I create is a unique story, an inimitable experience, a living piece of art.

Splot pieces are created in an innovative way: a simple aluminum path that can take on the most interesting and modern shapes. Tell us about the sustainable component of this project. How does the production of this innovative material take place?

First of all, what is perceived as simple actually conceals an intricate development made up of experimentation, refinement and dedication.As I mentioned before, SPLOT comes from aluminum sheets coming from industrial waste. Creating a design object means creating a new design process, therefore moving away from the dimension of pure craftsmanship, from the "inspired" creation of a unicum, in favor of the conception of a method.Since these are recycled materials, behind the manufacturing of SPLOT there are hundreds of hours dedicated to perfecting the process: from the treatment of aluminum to its cutting, from painting or printing techniques to the search for the single weave - different from collection to collection, sometimes tailor-made.

Your creative experience begins in Piacenza - Emilia-Romagna and tells an all-Italian story of elegance and quality. What value does the Italian territory have for your production and what does Made in Italy mean to you today?

The SPLOT project was born in Italy and, in a certain sense, thanks to Italy. Before my arrival, while I was studying at Moscow University, I approached the world of Italian architecture and design through the influence of personalities such as Carlo Scarpa, Achille Castiglione, Joe Colombo and others. The attention, care and passion with which these Italian experts approach design and craftsmanship deeply inspired me and pushed me to come to Italy to further explore these worlds.Piacenza, the city where I settled, is renowned for its traditions in metalworking, a cultural heritage that I have been able to embrace and share. This is where I had the opportunity to meet local artisans and build valuable collaborative bonds. It is thanks to this synergy between artisans that SPLOT objects were born. Each piece is the result of an intertwining, just like the material itself, which is a fusion of different artistic personalities."Made in Italy" becomes a bridge between past and future, a promise of excellence, quality craftsmanship and attention to detail, which permeates every aspect of our work. SPLOT Design is an example of how these elements can converge in a project that celebrates customization, sustainability and authentic Italian craftsmanship.