Accentuate the Imperfections

I am fascinated by the Japanese art of Kintsugi. Translated as "golden joinery", this is the art of repairing broken pottery by mending the breaks with a lacquer dusted with gold, silver, or platinum. Instead of hiding the breaks, the goal is to accentuate them and draw attention to them. In doing so, the art is elevated to another level. We gain new respect for the original artist as well as new respect for the artist who made the repairs. The imperfections become central to the art itself.

In a ...