Kintsugi

Have you heard of Kinsugi? It is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery (cerámica) usually with  gold.

Kintsugi originated when a important Japanese man (a shogun) in the 15th century asked for his favourite bowl to be repaired, and the craftsman (artesano) returned it repaired with gold. He was extremely pleased with the result.

Since then everybody liked this art so much that some collectors even broke expensive pottery intentionally so it could be beautifully repaired with this method and it would be worth (valer) more money.

But I am more interested in Kintsugui as the philosophy behind it; an object is more valuable when it has been repaired, and the repair should not be disguised (oculto); these "scars" (cicatrices) are part of the history of the object.

So when I want to repair something, I always let the "scars" visible. For me, showing I spent time and effort repairing something shows my care for the object, and yes, the object becomes more valuable in my own eyes.

Here are a few examples:

My venecian blinds that were broken by the wind

 

The vase for my hyacinth bulbs -I don't have gold,
so glitter (purpurina) will do :D

Last weekend a friend of mine asked me if I could please mend a tablecloth that he has accidentaly burnt, and I am definitely going to go "the Kintsugi way". I was thinking of embroidering (bordar) a little yellow sun, or a green leave... I haven't decided yet; all I know for now is I won't try to hide the repair.