The Aesthetics of Mending.

Mending is a philosophy. And a measurement of value.  If something must be mended, it means it has been used, thus is useful.  Unfortunately, we have a tendency to look at much of what we own as being something disposable.  We show no affection for what we have and quite easily throw things away when they  become obsolete or broken. Or simply no longer interesting to us. And it seems as if we’ve transfered this attitude towards people and our society as well.

Reparation is a form of beauty.

mended stocking

Mended Stockings by Dorothea Lange ,Photographer 

mended sweater

Mended jumper and tom of holland

The Visible Mending Programme: making and re-making

mended

Repairs at The Street of Gold

mended-glove

Even better would be to look at mending as a way of creating…

mending and manipulation

Mending and Manipulation

PET lamps

YOU MUST SEE THIS!  Colourful Lamps Made from Recycled Plastic Bottles…In the Summer of 2011, industrial designer Alvaro Catalán de Ocón travelled to Colombia, to be part of a project spearheaded by psychologist and activist Hélène Le Drogou, focusing on the plastic waste that is contaminating the Colombian Amazon and the reuse of discarded PET bottles. Combining local resources with ancient artisan textile techniques Alvaro transformed mass produced objects with a short and specific lifespan into one of a kind functional products.

It is also a tutorial as to how to make these fantastic lamps from PET bottles.

Tin-Box-RepairTin Box Repair:I loved this repair on some doors in the South of France, and more of these later as it had many beautiful repairs.

Flattery… flattened objects

repaired drainpipeRepaired drainpipe, Jaap van der Feer.

At  Remarkable Repairs, We received over 60 entries from all over the world in our Most Remarkable Repair Contest. They are all listed here. Do find yourself inspired by these clever repairs and pick your favourite.
Sunday 30 August, during the last day of Platform21 = Repairing, we announced who made the most remarkable repair according to our jury.

REPAIR IS BEAUTIFUL began with the idea of solving frustration. A broken object delivers frustration because it doesn’t achieve its functionality, but the same principle applies to a broken system that caused the financial crisis, which has affected our lives since 2008.

Mended StoolMended Stool

repaired wooden scoopRepaired wooden scoop via Mondays but, unfortunately, with no reference to its origin

Similar but not the same + Matthias Merkel Hess’ kintsugi

detail plate necklace

Martin Margiela’s broken porcelain-plate necklace

janet thaigh

OOPS!…When I unpacked the bag of broken bits, only one plate had survived – my W H Auden poem plate – more of which later. But on seeing my pile of broken crocks the group became animated, they fell on the pieces re-arranging back into plates and all said they preferred them broken, because now I have proper mending to consider not just simulated, contrived and controlled versions.

mended with Legos

Lego bricks used to repair crumbling walls

 + another Lego mended wall

mended screen

Mended screen, This week’s post looks at things broken, repaired and/or mended  and the beauty of such.

Still more:  Nina Katchadourian: The Mended Spiderweb Series +  Reduce, Reuse, Repair

+ Mending socks…. Blah! +

Previous related ART FOR HOUSWIVES  posts:  Mend & Repair + Mending as a form of Aesthetics.

P.S.  Thanks to Laurie for this link:  Mended Trash Bin!

Pull Up A Chair then Fix It + More + Modernist makeshift chairs, afghanistan + Makeshift mobile food cart.

P.P.S. To Mend

 

© Cynthia Korzekwa 2013

About Art for Housewives

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32 Responses to The Aesthetics of Mending.

  1. Rachel Smith says:

    Damn – I don’t visit this site as often as I should – and every time I do I feel like I have missed so many important things! Keep up the wonderful work!

  2. Stupendous and beautiful, and utterly inspiring!!

  3. Marie-Josée says:

    Very nice post… pictures and choice of items. The lego picture is not necessarily my favorite, but it made me think “wow”! So simple and ingenious. I love those innovative surprises! I also like to see how we can mend all sorts of materials. But of course, I love those textile repairs… Thank you Cynthia for the interesting links!

  4. I found this wonderful mended trash bin while walking my dog.

  5. marisa says:

    Precioso articulo! Muchas gracias

  6. Pat McKiernan says:

    Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful!

    Thank you for writing about something the world, well much of the US anyway, seems to have forgotten in so many ways

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  8. Loved this report – thank you!

  9. Mont Serrat says:

    me encanto.. siempre interesante.. Gracias Big Mamma!

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  11. Jan says:

    I love imperfection. Thank you for the post.

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