About ArtisTie

World leader in its sector, a brand synonymous with quality and specialisation, a company in Veneto that is an ambassador for values Made in Italy and a guardian of the environment: SapiSelco is all this and much more.

It is first and foremost a family business, which for over 65 years has dedicated all its knowhow, enthusiasm and experience to a single product: nylon cable ties.

An object that to the untrained eye may look simple, but which actually hides extremely complex technical characteristics, capable of offering different possibilities for use in the widest variety of sectors, some truly unimaginable.

One example? Art. Today the company is expanding its horizons and celebrating the product to which it has always been irremovably linked, with an all-new innovative project.

The birth of ArtisTie: a space where technology and creativity meet up to become a whole.

But how did this project come about? Over to Giacomo Griggio, CEO of SapiSelco srl and the mind and manager behind the ArtisTie project.

“ArtisTie is a project that aims to promote cable tie art, art using what looks like a small unusual object yet one that has great potential and versatility. How did the idea come about to dedicate a space reserved for contemporary art and all its offshoots in a historic company like SapiSelco?”

G.G.: Since 1950, we have created a solid business, able to evolve and innovate over time. SapiSelco has generated a unique product, specialising its core business solely and exclusively in the study, design and production of cable ties that can be used in different sectors. Thanks to our experience, specialisation, but above all thanks to our innovative character, we can today work with any kind of market, including the world of art. Highlighting what might be called the creative side of a technical product such as cable ties opens the product itself to many other application possibilities, and in this way the colour, shapes and materials present in the SapiSelco catalogue allow us to dialogue with new, constantly different environments. Art is an unfettered world, free from conventions, and we have managed to listen to it and meet the needs of the artists we are in contact with. We have in this way started to conceive the tie as an artistic object, so much so that we decided to give it its own dedicated space. Once again we have decided to step up the plate, entering a world hitherto unknown to us, in 2014 developing the ArtisTie project, to celebrate the art and design aspect of a product that has always been a part of us.

“The artists who have embraced this project and who are part of ArtisTie, how did they learn about this space reserved for the artistic side of cable tie art?”

G.G.: The ArtisTie project was independently promoted through careful sourcing and selection of national and international artists. We contacted the most influential names in this artistic trend and started up collaborations that would initially stimulate and arouse the curiosity of the artists themselves. Our objective is to create reciprocal added value for the company and the for the artists taking part in the project: on the one hand we want to show the passion that SapiSelco has for this product, once again highlighting our in-depth specialisation. In this way we can bring our regular clients in touch with a new environment, showing them the originality and creativity that our product can express in a sector outside their usual box. On the other hand ArtisTie becomes the possibility for the artist to expand his audience horizon to the entire network that rotates around SapiSelco, dialoguing not only with the usual spectators in the world of art, but also with a public of real technicians, with in-depth knowledge of the product.

“Which criteria determine which artists can “show” their works in this virtual space? Is there currently a physical space where the artists’ works can be seen live?”

G.G.: The ArtisTie works are selected for the clarity and tangibility of the message expressed by the artist. All the projects must start with in-depth design study of the product and express creativity and seriousness in their realisation. The creation of works with cable ties must be conceived with a clear awareness of the multi-purposefulness of the product, a thread that must be shared by all participants. The idea may come from the artists themselves or as a results of a suggestion made by SapiSelco which, in some cases, actively supports development of the project. We strongly believe in ArtisTie and intend to develop it over time. Our desire is to turn this virtual space into a physical ArtisTie showroom inside our company, where we can show the works of our artists and highlight the passion that, for years, has driven us to dedicate ourselves totally to this product, culminating in this artistic celebration.

“A love and complete dedication to this product: the ArtisTie project is for those artists who use cable ties as the material for their works of art. But SapiSelco was initially the manufacturer of this object: with the ArtisTie project, has a need arisen within the company itself for a more tangible, artistic side to accompany the specifically technical one?”

G.G.: Absolutely, yes. Today, SapiSelco not only promotes the ArtisTie project, it has become a proactive player. Our love for Art and Design has led us to develop K.oncept, the new brand through which we display the works that we ourselves create. Our in-depth knowledge of this product and its applications have led us to move beyond our limits, completely reinventing, in an artistic key, the concept of “cable tie”. K.oncept brand works guarantee the same quality of all our products: not only 100% made in Italy, they are well and truly Made in SapiSelco.

“Not just big collaborations, but also a specific space for new talents. How do you communicate your business, your product and the philosophy that lies at the base of your project, in enhancing this kind of art to emerging artists and/or anyone wanting to try their hand at cable tie art?”

G.G.: The Become ArtisTie section was set up to lend a voice to anyone wanting to learn about the ArtisTie project and those deciding to take part. Artists wanting to candidate themselves will also be evaluated and selected according to the set criteria, to give room to emerging creative talents. We are also thinking about development of collateral projects such as collaboration with schools and universities of architecture and design, with a view to enhancing the creativity of students by setting up prizes and annual competitions.

“ArtisTie is a project that will definitely have an increasingly broader scope. Artists already featured in this space are established names, recognised on the international art scene, with important participations to their name (such as, for example, Tsibi Geva showing at the Biennale in Venice for the 56th Art Exposition in the Israel Pavilion): What future events will give the chance to recognise and get a close up look at ArtisTie and its players?”

G.G.: Collaboration with Tsibi Geva in 2015 was a very important step for the development of ArtisTie, opening the way to many other collaborations with important artists. During the “Light & Building” fair in Frankfurt, we were pleased to show works by artist Patrizia Castano, in this way turning our stand from a “technical” space to an art show. The interested feedback we have received for this project, both from the public and the artists themselves, confirms our expectations and drives us today to consider it a fundamental part of our identity and further means of communication for our corporate mission: “Tools and Solutions at the service of our clients’ creativity”. To find out about upcoming events, just open the ArtisTie section at www.sapiselco.com, the platform that keeps you updated in real time and on our social media pages, Facebook and Instagram. We tell every moment of the story of the cable tie, because its history is ours.