Make Art and Mend
Kintsugi is the ancient Japanese art of seeking beauty from imperfections by mending broken ceramics with gold lacquer. Artist Glen Martin Taylor has taken this one step further by incorporating an array of unusual found objects with broken porcelain pieces, some of which carry strong personal emotional significance.
China plates from the artist's grandmother were broken up, the missing pieces replaced by barbed wire and rusty chains, resulting in objects which look delicate and menacing at the same time. In another series discarded baby shoes are bound tightly to pieces of broken porcelain, adding a large dose of melancholy. Other unexpected found objects used include nails, cutlery and old newspapers.
These objects may have not have been "repaired" in the conventional sense, but their lost functionality has certainly been more than made up for by their spellbinding beauty and emotional impact.
Product Inspiration
Unusual material juxtapositions make for intriguing designs. The Coleccionista shelf from Boca do Lobo, the Dolce Vita console from Dooq and the Lazy Basketball chair from Campeggi are good examples.
For impactful lights with unusual material combinations try the Wink suspension light from Houtique, the Frame wall light from Utu and the Bull table light from 101 Copenhagen.
Go for unusual accessories to make a strong design statement. Try the Bonnet mirror from Houtique, the Peonza spinning top mirror from Nomon and the Tornado vase from Ghidini 1961.
