1) Complete your Repair project (steps 4-10)
and post documentation on your LP. Bring object to present next week.
Test with an Experiment
4. Attempt repair.
Does it work?
5. Was the repair successful?
I think in the overall it did work because it did keep the pieces together really strong. However, for the first white pottery, I think it might need another technique to fill out the cracks because it the line or hole wasn’t big enough for me to put the glue in it.
Are you happy with the results?
Yes, I like the idea of making my own glue with natural materials instead of using a glue based on chemicals like most of them are.
Is the repair more beautiful/interesting in some way than the original?
I think the repair is more interesting because of the process of putting the pieces together and the effort and dedication behind the repair. Originally, I only bought those pots without know who made them and where, but the repair is more personal and meaningful.
How is the object more resilient after the repair?
I think it is more resilient to acquire a more personalized design instead of being a mass production pottery. Cracks are unique, therefore, each of these potteries are unique with a unique tracing or design that the object got when it broke. So, I believe that cracks make an object more resilient to uniqueness and personalization instead of mass production and
Analyze and Draw Conclusions
6. What did you learn?
First, I learn how to make my own glue. After I didn’t find an alternative for the urushi, I research how to make my own glue using natural materials because that was what I wanted. Secondly, I learn that if we care about something, we will do anything to keep it, just like I did with these two flower pots.
How long do you expect this repair to actually last now that it is complete?
I think the glue and the way it was put together will make the pottery last longer than first, it did. However, keeping in mind that my cat goes around where the plants are, I must take another measurement to make sure it won’t fall off again.
What surprises did you encounter?
I think the most surprising part of this experiment is after I didn’t found any natural glue on stores, to found how to make my own one using vinegar, gelatin and cornstarch. First I wasn’t sure it will even work as a glue but it did and that also surprised me how the combination of different ingredients can create something useful.
What would you do differently next time?
Next time I would have a fork right in my hand when the vinegar starts boiling to add the gelatin and prevent any burning, because just the minutes that I went to get something to stir, it started burning. Also, next time I would have gotten a thinner brush so that I can get into those little cracks which I couldn’t this time.
Are there other ways you could have repaired this item, that you realize now?
I don’t know another way of repairing ceramics with natural materials just like I did, but if I would have had more time I would buy the urushi from Japan and definitely try that technique.
After completing this project, do you consider repair a more valuable skill?
Yes, I believe that besides the skill you need to have to create something, there is also design and thinking behind repairing objects. For example, like Gen Saratani demonstrates, he carefully follows the cracks and then makes a decoration to it when it is dry. In this way, repair can also lead us to re-decorate something or re-design something by showing out the cracks as part of the beauty of the design instead of hiding them.
Communicate Results
7. Create an illustrated LP post showing your process and results. Be mindful of lighting, focus, background and final results.
Reflection:
8. What is the most important aspect of making a design easily repairable?
I think that part of making a good design is doing a design easy to repair. I believe the most important aspect of making a design easy to repair is how many materials you need to repair it. If it’s easy to repair requiring fewer materials, people will definitely try to repair the object instead of throwing it away and buying another because the repair is much harder than buying a new one.
9. After completing this project, what’s one object that you wish you could repair but don’t feel as though you currently have the skills to do so?
I want to repair my bedroom lamp. It wasn’t really expensive but I thought it would work nice. However, I believe there is something broken in the connection between where you place the bulb on the stand and the bottom part of the bulb. Every time I need to twist it and push it hard down to get to turn on the lamp. But, I don’t know anything about electricity and how to repair those tiny and detailed pieces.
10: Did your repair require fewer materials and involve fewer systems than buying a new replacement? Which systems?
Yes, it definitely involved fewer systems. I just went walking to the food market and get the ingredients and then place the ingredients in a pan, using gas to turn on the fire. Then, when the mix was mixed up and ready to use, I used a brush to glue it together. On the other hand, If I would have gone to buy a new pottery, most probably I would have to use a car or subway to get to Bed Bath and Beyond for the amber flower pot and a boat to get to Ikea, which is where I bought the white flower pot. Then for the return the same. And then, considering how many systems it includes on making each one of the pots, are much more than what it took me to buy the ingredients for the glue.
2) Reflect on our class visit with Gen Saratani. Which of the Long Life Design criteria does kintsugi fulfill? Are you interested in this kind of repair? Do you think you have the patience to enjoy a process of slow repair? Do you think a slow and long process of repair can make an object more meaningful? Does this kind of repair seem like its own art form, rather than just repair? Does it feel inventive and creative (in what ways?) Do you think repaired kintsugi designs become more interesting than the original?
I believe the kintsugi meets almost all of the criteria of long life design as the philosohpy of kintsugi itself is based on the longevity of objects rather than throwing them away. First, the whole point of kintsugi is repairing, which is the first criteria of long life design. The repair on kintsugi I think is very easy and simple to make however it could be difficult to find the right materials. The sales and manufacturing I think important criteria for kintsugi as they are very passionate and have dedicated their life to developing this technique and part of the Japanese culture and spreading it into the world in order to make other people involved in this culture. The function is easy to use and it is safe even to use for ceramics like food trays. The planned production is also fulfilled because I believe everyone has at least one thing to repair. The criteria of user I believe is one of the strongest criteria that kintsugi fulfill of long life design because of the impact it creates on people of the showing of the cracks instead of hiding them. Therefore, the reason why kintsugi exist is that of broken things and making art based on it. The environment is also accomplished as the glue they use is taken from a natural material and therefore, it doesn’t pollute nor harm the environment. And finally, I do think their design is beautiful and unique and the meaning behind it is what gives that special value to it.
I am interested in this type of repair, and learning more from the Japanese culture and the value behind broken objects. I believe that learning this and comparing it to my culture has made me see both of both worlds in which in one the broken objects have value and on the other hasnt. However, I feel that the one that values more the object has more meaning and care involved in the process then the culture of throwing away things. Yes, I believe that this type of slow repair is also a contrast to the kind of lifestyle we usually have, without stopping and having everything on a few seconds done because of the internet. Yes, I believe that the value of an object can also be because of the process it took and the dedicated and time it got from someone. I think is more about the art of repairing, as it enhances the beauty of repairing objects and decorating the cracks in which it shows the history of the object. And the process of repairing and decorating the piece involves creativity and innovation as it has to work with the original design in order to make a new design with the combination of both. I think that the kintsugi makes a design more interesting, unique and meaningful than the original.
3) Conduct independent research on the effects of the fashion industry on water and air systems. Post links to two websites that you found the most useful and interesting. Write a few sentences summarizing what you learned.
The links that I found that were the most interesting are how fashion impact water systems but it show potential and initiative project to counteract this fact. As water is an essential for the cultivation of cotton, dying, textile and finishing, this supply affects all companies that are involved in fashion. For this reason, there have been developed some partnership for example in Bangladesh to bring together buyers, factories and technical specialists to improve its textile wet processing sector.
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/sustainable-fashion-blog/2014/sep/04/10-things-to-know-water-impact-fashion-industry
On the other hand, I found another source that shows the impact of fashion on the air, water and land systems. It compares the pollution of fashion with the pollution of oil, as the fashion industry involves so many systems to make only one garment that impacts the environment. It states that the fashion industry is the second largest pollutant in the world after oil. For cultivating cotton, even the organic cotton needs, that is more sustainable but is only produce 1% worldwide, it needs 5,00o gallons of water in order to grow and to make only one t-shirt and one pair of jeans. Most fabric dyes, are created in Indonesia, where the Citarum River is considered one of the most polluted rivers in the world due in great part to the hundreds of textile factories lining its shores. Also, it states how fast fashion is enhancing and encouraging the disposal culture of throwing away clothing to landfills, accelerating carbon emission and therefore, global warming.
https://www.ecowatch.com/fast-fashion-is-the-second-dirtiest-industry-in-the-world-next-to-big–1882083445.html
4) Conduct independent research on Social Resiliency. Describe an example of social resilience that you would share with friends and family. Why might social resilience be important in the context of climate change? How important do you think it is for designers to consider and encourage resiliency among people in their work? Why? What is an experience you have had, or an object/design that you have, that supports social resiliency in you? (i.e. makes you feel stronger, not alone, connected to the earth, other people, animals, the planet, prepared, capable and able to deal with changes etc.)
Social resiliency is the ability of social groups to tolerate and adjust to environmental and social threads of different types. For example, how architects, engineers, and designers can adapt depending on things we are facing based on climate change, like for example floods. It is important in the concept of climate change as it is how people can adapt and change with the adjustments that climate change has made on earth. I believe is really important for designers to empower resiliency as we are facing a period in which our creatin impacts the environment and therefore if it meets resiliency, it would adapt to the changes of the environment instead of impacting it or going against it. For my Design Studio class, I am working on a project of creating garments, specifically the sleeves of the clothing, that can be turned into handbags. This project started with the idea of mass consumption and the need of carrying things around when you walk out of your home.Therefore, the power it has to adapt and change depending on the needs of the person impact the user in a positive way by starting looking at things differently and how one thing can be use in many other ways, instead of buying many things for one specific use.
http://www.transre.org/en/blog/what-social-resilience/
