KINTSUGI AND A QUICK DIY GUIDE FOR THOSE IN A HURRY Japanese craftsmanship 2/2 Isn’t it a dream come true? Upgrading through repair. An object, like for example a bowl from a precious series that has long been discontinued, breaks – and what do we do? Instead of regretting the loss, we not only repair it but turn it into something special, thanks to kintsugi. It means to inscribe an object’s very own history on its surface, thus creating an individual keshiki, a »landscape« of gold lines. What couldn’t be better suited to the current zeitgeist of sustainability has been common practice in Japan for centuries. Following the philosophy of finding beauty in the ephemeral and in individuality (wabi sabi), an object fixed through kintsugi even gains in value – emotionally and materially. All this went through my head when I recently unfortunately stacked two delicate porcelain bowls from a beautiful white octagonal service above each other – and one just broke. Luckily, in two clean halves. Perfect conditions for a kintsugi experiment, no? Isn’t it a dream come true? Upgrading through repair. Text: Elisabeth Stursberg
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