Kintsugi Wabi Sabi Workshop

Kintsugi is the practice of repairing broken objects, highlighting the cracks with gold. This repair work also allows us to forward the larger narrative while honoring impermanence. As an analogy for life, kintsugi allows us to practice resilience, to transform what lies at hand, and to recover from past challenges. Kintsugi embodies the duality of life, its tendency to be at once incredibly beautiful and terribly challenging.

At the core of this work is Wabi Sabi, an ancient concept in Japanese aesthetic thought. Drawing on a deeply Zen sensibility, Wabi Sabi finds value in imperfection, impermanence, and incompleteness. It invites us to find beauty in the insignificant and unconventional, to discover value in what passes away, and to draw inspiration from the fragmentary.

In this intimate workshop, we will first have tea and introduce ourselves. Then you will break and restore your own teacup, provided by the workshop leaders, using modern Kintsugi techniques. We’ll learn about the Japanese aesthetic philosophy of Wabi Sabi, and explore its thought-provoking implications for our own lives. Please bring clothes you don't mind getting dirty, along with an open mind! We look forward to meeting you.

This workshop is hosted by Tori Seitelman

Tori is a ceramicist of 13 years, and a teacher. Her art is inspired by nature. She loves that Wabi Sabi is a reminder of the natural beauty of change. She hopes that this process will bring acceptance… at least of our broken pottery.

@torimakespots on Instagram

Host or Publisher The Berkeley Alembic Foundation