Traditional kintsugi technique in Milan

The workshop teaches how to repair a ceramic with a modern version of kintsugi (the technique of fixing broken objects with gold) in which the ceramic is fixed with a fast-drying glue instead of the traditional clay. The first half of the workshop is dedicated to sticking the parts together, followed by an in-depth explanation of kintsugi, an overview of its centuries-old history and an explanation of its symbolic value. Once the glue is dry, the second part of the workshop is dedicated to finishing off the ceramic by applying golden powder. All materials are supplied by Kintsu Handmade, including a small ceramic to work on.

The workshop teaches participants how to repair a ceramic with a modern version of kintsugi: the ceramic is fixed with a fast-drying glue, but the golden powder is applied with the traditional clay (urushi). The goal is a final result as similar as possible to the ones achieved with the traditional technique. The first half of the workshop consists of sticking the parts together, followed by an explanation of kintsugi. Once the glue is dry, the second part of the workshop is dedicated to finishing off the ceramic by applying golden powder. All materials are supplied by Kintsu Handmade, including a small ceramic to work on.

In this workshop participants will learn the traditional kintsugi technique by following all its steps and using all the traditional materials. It involves three sessions of 2/3 hours each, one every week. The ceramics are repaired with nori urushi, levigated with urushi clay mixed with tonoko powder and finished off with urushi mixed with golden powder. All participants are given a kit containing the specific materials which they can then use for future works. At the end of the course everyone will have a good overview of kintsugi, of its history and of its meaning, as well as a kintsugi ceramic to keep.