In Japanese, kintsugi translates to 'golden joinery', referring to the practice of mending broken pottery with lacquer that's been mixed with gold. While it was originally practised on accidentally damaged pieces, collectors became enamoured with the golden vein-like seams and artisans began to purposefully destroy pieces to repair them with kintsugi.
Today, kintsugi is also considered a philosophy that highlights the beauty of damage and breakage, and the acknowledgement that broken things can be stronger and more resilient than before. And it's this philosophy that has inspired the latest TEDxMelbourne talk, 'Kintsugi: From Broken to Beautiful', which is set to take place at the Capital Theatre on November 25.
Each speaker will be asked to answer the question, "What have you taken that was broken but is now stronger than ever before?" The line-up will feature media personality Osher Günsberg; Melbourne-based street artist Rone; Ronni Kahn AO, the founder of food rescue charity OzHarvest; farmer, scientist and storyteller Dr Anika Molesworth; behavioural scientist Patrycja Slawuta; and lord mayor Sally Capp.
Tickets start at $149 per person and are available through the Eventbrite website.
