In November 2015 the Museum welcomed Muneaki Shimode and Takahiko Sato, lacquerware artists from Kyoto, Japan, to take up a Visiting Maker residency as part of the Museum's VERVE project. During the residency Muneaki and Takahiko demonstrated the unique Kintsugi technique of repairing ceramics with lacquer and powdered gold, working on pieces specially commissioned for the Museum's permanent and handling collections and for the Friends of the Museum, as well as running demonstrations, talks and workshops for the public. In this film, the artists tell us about the philosophy and skill behind this ancient and enduring Japanese craft, as we follow the journey of a single broken dish - and its owner - through the repair process.
With special thanks to the residency sponsors, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Sasakawa Foundation, and the following individuals: Tim Toomey and Iku Nishikawa (UK Kintsugi Project), Helen Cadoux-Hudson (Friends of the PRM), and Fusa McLynn (Interpreter).
