The art of repairing

It was so normal for our grandparents: when something broke, it was repaired. The broken coffee mug, the bust-up walking stick, even the faulty car … almost everything was restored. Nowadays, even though there is some sense of a counter-movement with the creation of ›repair cafés‹, the urge to discard and dispose is all too pervasive and it has fatal consequences. Our mass production not only puts a strain on the environment, but also leads to spiritual alienation. Work loses all value and dignity when it only serves short-term uses and when humans as well as goods become exchangeable links in a production chain. It’s a vicious cycle: the less of a connection we build with different goods, the quicker they are replaced.

In his essay, Wolfgang Schmidbauer pleads for the appreciation of restoration. By encouraging skilled workmanship and creativity, the act of restoring resembles art and has a positive influence on our emotional relationships.