Restoring beauty to the broken

encouragement and instructions in hand, I set about my fix-up.

We students were set loose with glue, putty, spatulas and various diamond files to patch up our pieces as best we could.

Though the contemporary technique we were taught was simplified (glue pieces together, fill gaps with putty, cut away extra pieces, smooth as much as possible) it was tricky getting a tidy-looking join while working against the glue or putty-setting clock.

I did my best, but a little glumly accepted that I should have tried a more straightforward project before attempting to make my hares whole again. Once the putty was sanded and smooth, it was time to apply lacquer, a paint that is the reddish brown colour you often see on the inside of Japanese noodle bowls. Using a very fine brush, the other students obediently painted delicate lines over their puttied cracks. I had such a wodge joining my hares that their kind of delicacy was not required.

Then came the magic, the game-changing step that dispersed any glum feelings. While the paint was still wet, we lightly dusted over super fine brass powder, transforming our painted brown areas to golden highlights. Grimaces were replaced by the delighted smiles of women seeing something precious and flawed in a new, appreciative light.

After carefully transporting my hares home, I set them to one side for a fortnight for drying before carefully cleaning off the superfluous brass dust for the first real look at my joinedtogether hares.

They were still not perfect, but they were perfectly lovely... and they’re now at the front of that shelf.

The kintsugi workshop was part of the Necessary Traditions Festival 2018 run by Rekindle at the Arts Centre te Matatiki Toi Ora.