The Fix & Make program at Canberra’s Hotel Hotel is inspiring us from afar. The talks, events and workshops are designed to expand understanding about how things work, and try to get them working again.
People bring in iPhones with dead buttons, or a torn pairs of pants, and all the broken-stuff victims come together to try breathe new life into their things.
Fix & Make's fun and simplicity so quickly draws attention to how absurdly deconstructive our current model is, where we heap outdated fast fashion onto throw-away coffee cups onto disposable ballet flats onto used tents from festivals.
This beautiful photograph shows the Japanese technique of Kintsugi, which uses a binding lacquer blended with powdered gold or silver to repair broken objects. Breakage becomes part of the objects' history, rather than something to disguise, and even increases their value.
With the aim to build knowledge around repair and the design process, and better connect us with the objects in our world, Fix & Make restores the ‘make do and mend’ skills we missed in our generation.
It’s political, creative and empowering. Check out IFIXIT's manifesto to learn more about the the fixing movement.