Sidewalk kintsugi: repairing cracks with gold

Andrea James 8:08 am Fri Feb 17, 2017

Artist Rachel Sussman discovered the ancient art of kintsugi, repairing cracked vases with gold, and applied it to cracked pavement and flooring for her Sidewalk Kintsukuroi series.

Sussman tells Hyperallergic's Allison Meier:

"It was the spring of 2014, right as my book, The Oldest Living Things in the World, was just coming out," Sussman told Hyperallergic. "I had spent 10 years looking at ancient organisms who have withstood the test of time. I was already connected to the aesthetic philosophy of wabi-sabi inherent in the work and the organisms themselves: quiet and imperfect, bearing the proud patinas and injuries of age, while flirting with the boundaries of permanence."

For an overview of the philosophy of kintsugi (literally "gold-joining"), check out this video:

• An Artist Mends Cracks in the Sidewalk with Gold (Hyperallergic)

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