Embracing the Cracks with Kintsugi

Consumption and waste are key considerations that are tied closely to sustainability, and the idea of repair comes as a way to reduce wastage and prolong product lifetimes.

On 20 February 2023, hospitality students from DHA-10-22H organised an engaging Kintsugi Upcycling Workshop as part of their 'Events Planning and Management' module, attended by the class and their trainers!

Kintsugi is a Japanese technique in upcycling broken pottery, said to have originated from 15th-century Japan, when a military commander Ashikaga Yoshimasa  was disappointed with a repair job and sought an alternative to mend pottery. He eventually found success when  bits of pottery were glued together using lacquer mixed with gold, making the whole valuable again. 

Students tested out the modern approach of Kintsugi for themselves, using epoxy and liquid gold leaf and joined their broken ceramic pieces together. This method was safer and dried faster, compared to the traditional Urushi method which uses the sap of the urushi tree and can be toxic to handle!