Mending
In these pieces I embrace the Japanese practice of Kintsukuroi. This art of repairing broken pottery employs a mindset which treats breakage and repair as part of the object’s history, rather than something shameful. When restoring with metallic lacquer, the intention is not to make damage entirely invisible, but instead to elevate the wounds as the agents of metamorphosis for the altered ceramic. The resulting objects are imbued with new visual and material characteristics. Generally, the repaired item has a much higher value and enjoys greater appreciation than it had in its previous state. People that interact with these repaired objects experience a profound and touching quality in the work because of a universality of defects, aging, and imperfections. I find this acceptance and honor of often perceived weaknesses liberating and empowering. The tedious nature of hand-carving these bowls to then brake them and repair them in each iteration with their compounding cracks, mirrors the difficulty and annoyingly repetitive aspect of deep healing. Repairing with gold-mending illustrates the beauty and value of this repair. I hope that the visualization of this therapeutic reparation process empowers those who have wounds to invest in themselves, while also celebrating and valuing the efforts of those on this hard and beautiful journey.