The Art of Mending
I’ve been fascinated for years by photos of ceramic cups and bowls that have been mended with thin strands of gold, an ancient art form from Japan, called Kintsugi.
The philosophy that has grown within this art form brings a deep meaning to each piece. Not just decorative work, and not just repair work. It is representative of the idea that brokenness is inevitable – of things, of us. But that with reflection, and deliberate action, we can return to wholeness. Wholeness filled with refinement, beauty and with our broken places still visible – bringing even greater beauty to who we are. Damage is part of a history, not an ending; renewed wholeness celebrates resilience, and transformation.
In the original practice of Kintsugi, a piece must sit and dry for months. A modern version of the practice was created after the Tsunami in 2011 caused massive destruction in Japan. Artists developed a quicker method using more modern materials that cured more quickly, and then taught people who had lost their homes how to restore one precious piece they had salvaged, to help them begin to symbolically heal. They had a tangible reminder of what was precious to them, with visible acknowledgement that things would never be the same, but that they could be whole again – in a different way.
This story and artform are so especially relevant today, with all of the pain, brokenness and massive destruction in the southeast this week. All the pieces and parts of lives and houses and whole cities that must be put back together. They are relevant, too with the healing that must happen in our environment, and in our country.
Our first lesson of repair was to start with the small pieces – and build into larger parts we can assemble more easily. Small steps. Start local. Our instructor told us that to him, the repair of each bowl was a prayer. And so this week I pray for healing – for so many. And for the small steps we can take each day, the small victories that add up to great things, to transformation, and to wholeness.
Diana is a founding member of Peace Church, and is grateful for the healing and mending that Peace Church has brought to her own broken places through the years.