The Art of Repair: Kintsugi at wagumi

A chance to connect with kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken ceramics. Iku Nishikawa’s workshops are a simple introduction to how this craft creates a beautiful afterlife for damaged tableware. Guests take home their own kintsugi plate.

Kintsugi is a process that uses lacquer, sealants and colour to trace the lines of an accident during use.  The spontaneous moment of breakage is immortalised and becomes a new feature. It allows the owner of the item not just to have their piece returned to them with fresh beauty, but to contemplate the imperfection and fragile equilibrium of life. Through the craft of kintsugi, owners can connect to something eternal.

Iku Nishikawa, a practitioner in the technique, offers a simple introduction to kintsugi at design shop wagumi. Including some shortcuts, the workshops are intended as an entry to the deeper art of mending ceramics with lacquer.