Posters will be on display in the AIC Exhibit Hall on Thursday, May 29, and Friday, May 30. Poster authors will be at their poster for a Q&A session on Friday, May 30, at 3:30pm.
Banner photo by Lane Pelovsky, Courtesy of Meet Minneapolis
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Kintsugi is a traditional and longstanding Japanese method of object repair. Dating back to around the fifteenth century, it is effectively a form of conservation that visibly accentuates and enhances the damage an item has sustained to create a new, equally engaging object. This moves away from concepts of invisible repair and perfection that dominate the conservation and repair methods of the global north. It is a way of allowing objects to live, change and adapt to time and circumstances whilst still functioning effectively. The result is a repaired object that is a new thing of beauty. The concept has parallels to the human journey through life, and provides a good philosophy for fulfilling a personal reconciliation to change and difficult situations, emerging in a different, but by no means worse, physical shape and space.This short paper will highlight the development and delivery of a community wellbeing project at The Museum of English Rural Life, Reading, and Norwich Museums, UK, which emphasised the potential of conservation and hand crafts as a route to improved mental health. Working with community partners, participants in the two Kintsugi Conservation programmes took a book of their choice that not only had some personal meaning but had also seen some life: it was imperfect in some way and possibly no longer functioning effectively as a bound object. Using practical conservation methods and a wide and eclectic material choice, the groups worked together to develop not only an understanding of book structures and methods of repair but had a space to express themselves and share their life experiences in a supportive, safe and inclusive environment. The journeys were as important as the destinations, and the results proved to be reflective, impressive and moving.The presentation will end with a discussion of the potential for conservation to perform a sensory role in outreach and engagement, dissolving barriers to understanding and access and helping to provide a visitor experience that has the capacity to reach all audiences equitably.