Description

Kintsugi is a 400+ year-old Japanese traditional practice used to repair ceramics/pottery. Fractures are no longer weak points but beautiful elements. Mended breakages are celebrated with gold instead of being hidden. This philosophy is often taught as embracing imperfections in our life—the beauty of human flaws. Urushi is a tree resin and the main material in all traditional kintsugi repair steps: adhesive, filler and coatings. As the traditional method uses all-natural materials, repaired ceramics are food-safe, waterproof, and heatproof once completely cured. Urushi is derived from a tree in the cashew family, which includes poison ivy and mango. Disposable gloves must be worn while handling the raw lacquer to avoid allergic reactions. Typically, an easy repair using traditional kintsugi methods takes several weeks to complete—however, this intensive workshop is intended to concentrate the process and distill it all into a manageable two days. Instead of completing one repair from start to finish, different ceramic pieces will be used for participants to learn each step, make tools and color samples, interspersed with instructor demonstrations. Participants will leave with their own personal kintsugi kit to continue their work in the future.