Kintsugi pottery

 

Kintsugi pottery

In Japan, there is a traditional repair method known as Kintsugi. It is an ancient Japanese practice of repairing broken pottery with gold. As a metaphor for life, it shows us how to view the broken, painful parts of ourselves and others as an opportunity to add strength, beauty. My jewellery relates to the Kintsugi practice by incorporating stitching as a connection to my life experiences. I use the stitching method as a metaphor for telling my story through jewellery making, adding stitches to bind two objects together. I aim to mend what has been broken into one element, and the patterns created by the wire stitching somehow reflect the interconnectedness of people's lives, known as "uqhagamshelwano." My work embodies "uNyamezelo," symbolizing strength and beauty, as there is a part of me that gains strength when creating my jewellery pieces.