Bologna | Manoteca

Elisa Cavani is a compulsive collector of other people’s junk. Always has been, by her own admission. Even before she opened her Manotecaworkshop in a little stone house surrounded by parkland and open country in a suburb of Bologna, she rarely came home without some item of flotsam or jetsam. Because Elisa is a designer, an artist, a creative who’s inspired by stuff with a history, objects neglected and abandoned and begging to be respectfully redeemed. And that is what she does, lovingly and imaginatively transforming them into something new, functional and always quirky, crafty hybrids of recycling and art.

Metal and wood are the prevailing materials in her current repertoire. There are multiple variations on the table or work surface which doubles as storage space, made from disused doors or boxes: just see how ingenious is this one! Or a series of old tricycles with added bookshelves and lamps. But sometimes glass and plastics too find their way onto her list of one-off, hand-remodelled eco-creations, all  finished using non-toxic paints and varnishes. Like the international collectors who’ve already had Elisa‘s works shipped to faraway places, you can visit by appointment or buy online.