5 most asked studio questions
About kintsugi repair and beyond
Let me tell you why I am the luckiest person alive. Every week I get to welcome groups of you into our cozy repair studio nestled away in an old button factory in Stoke Newington for our beginners Kintsugi repair workshops. I love teaching so much more than I thought I ever would before I began, but I always knew that taking the swaths of information and skills learned during my conservation degree and squirrelling it away was just not for me. I always cringe a little when I see people in skilled industries, particularly those to do with craft, jealously guarding their knowledge. And while I totally understand the impulse, particularly in competitive fields, I am a big believer in sharing the wealth. People have so many questions, and I love how curious you all are! So let’s answer my top 5 most asked questions from the repair studio:
Can I eat off of this?
The MOST asked question in our repair studio, hands down. The answer is nuanced (sorry) but I will try to simplify it as much as possible… The short answer is that the only truly food-grade repairs are traditional long-form kintsugi repairs using urushi lacquer from start to finish, and completed with gold or silver. Not all metals are created equal in terms of food safety, so keep that in mind when choosing your materials. However, there is a degree of food safety in many modern materials as well. Let me explain… any time you see a kit or modern material used for bonding advertised as ‘food safe’ I would like you to do yourself a favour and approach that claim with curiosity and scepticism. Because as it turns out, food safe materials may not be as food safe as they appear on first glance. Some longer-setting epoxy resins, for instance, have recieved food certification, but if you delve a little deeper into their safety data sheet, you will see all kinds of things that you would likely not be happy to have in contact with your edibles. From cyclohexanone (a ketone found in insecticides) to formaldehyde, there are so many weird and not-always-wonderful things to be found in modern adhesives. Those were just a few I found listed in SDS for some ‘food safe’ epoxies on the market. So look carefully, and consider working your way into traditional methods of kintsugi repair using urushi lacquer and gold or silver if you would like to work your object back into kitchen use.
Is kintsugi art therapy?
In short, not really. Because kintsugi is the main specialty craft that we teach at TSC headquarters, walking the fine-line between staying as true as possible to its principals , while also honouring what brings people to this beautiful practice to begin with is tricky. But in all honesty, while there is a strong philosophy behind kintsugi about imperfection and age, kintsugi at its core is a practice of craftsmanship and skill. Practitioners spend decades honing and refining their hand skills to execute beautiful traditional repairs. Because of this, many maki-e and kintsugi artists are bemused by the Westernised perspective of kintsugi repair as a metaphor for life’s challenges. Yes, wabi sabi philosophy honours imperfection, age and wonkiness, but there is a bit more to it than that.
Now, having provided a little context, I will contradict myself entirely and say that I think this theraputic framing is lovely. approaching kintsugi from the perspective of a conservator, even I can see how this perspective is genuinely helpful to people, and I love that it brings people closer to the practice. It’s just important to recognize that it is not the only thing kintsugi repair is about.
I’m not a fan of gold, are there any other finishes?
SO GLAD YOU ASKED. There are quite a few alternative finishes to gold in kintsugi repair. And while ‘kin’ is the root, and it does in fact mean ‘gold’ the variations are just as beautiful. There are several considerations when choosing a finish: What will the object be used for? What finish will best compliment the finish or glaze of the object? How much time will you be dedicating to your repair? All of these questions can help guide you towards the right repair for you at any given time. Is the object a precious family heirloom? A long-form traditional repair will probably serve the repair best in the long run. Want to provide a durable food-grade safe finish? 24kt gold and urushi lacquer are the way to go. Broken your favourite ceramic statuette? A modern-hybrid repair using bronze is a wonderful way to get it standing upright on your mantle once more. In addition to precious metals for finishing, you can also choose to leave your lines with a polished urushi finish of black or red. I covered a few different alternative kintsugi types here, but needless to say, once you pick up the basics, you are not limited to just plain gold.
Are modern kintsugi styles ‘authentic’?
I love and kinda hate this question in equal measure. Love the curiosity of it, but hate the premise that craft and art cannot find new and innovative ways to evolve while still staying true to the spirit and the principals of its roots. There are always purists for whom the idea of tradition is the one and only consideration. Don’t get me wrong, there is a place for puritanical thinking. I love and cherish time-honoured craftsmanship just as much as the next guy. However (and this is just my personal opinion) I like to think, as someone who has practiced historic craft, and continues to learn and evolve my practice that there is room for variation and newness within tradition. Anything can be done carelessly.
The truth of the repair is in the intention.
I have seen both traditional and modern kintsugi repairs executed carelessly (and frankly I have done crappy, careless repairs in my day too, so i’m speaking from experience). For many curious crafters, the cost, complexity and accessibility of traditional materials can be a huge barrier to entry. Finding levels of accessibility for people who may not have a dedicated studio space, or cannot afford all the bells and whistles that go along with a new pursuit of skills, or perhaps just want to sample a craft before deciding if it’s something they would like to delve deeper into is important. This is why I am such a fan of hybrid styles of repair. A traditional kintsugi repair cannot be completed in one afternoon. The materials wont allow it. A repair you actually CAN accomplish with the resources you have is the best repair.
I thought kintsugi repair was just for ceramic tableware?
This is kind of an amalgamation of a few variations on the same question… namely, what else besides ceramics can I repair using kintsugi? If you are happy to experiment, the world is your oyster! In some cases modern-hybrid repair methods using a blend of modern adhesives and fillers with traditional metals are a better fit, and in others the object calls for a longer-form traditional repair. I have gone on about this at length, so I won’t get too repetative, but you will find that there are a myriad of uses for all levels of kintsugi repair methods. One that often surprises people is glass. While the tightly-packed particles of glass tend to be a bit trickier with traditional repair (urushi really does not love sticking to glass) these repairs are perfectly suited to modern-hybrid repair methods. I have mentioned the work of Yee Sook Yung and her translated vases series. These massive sculptures use modern kintsugi repair techniques to create flowing, blobby ceramic masses joined by golden welds. This is a great example of how kintsugi repair can be utilized more experimentally to great visual impact. Other uses and materials that adapt well to this process include 3D objects, like ceramic figurines for instance. Wood, stone, and even interior tiling can be modified to suit the purpose and repaired in kintsugi-style. With a little imagination, the options are endless.
See you at the studio soon. Bring me all of your questions, I love them.
Until then…
-Cody
T.S.C. x
