Kin*tsugi 

Collaboration with Manuel Selg

Regeneration Through Microbial Collaboration

Kintsugi is a traditional Japanese practice of repairing broken ceramics by joining fragments together and transforming their scars into part of their beauty.
This work expands that philosophy through a play on the Japanese word kin, which signifies both “gold” (金) and, through its pronunciation, evokes “microbe” (菌).
What if damaged objects could be regenerated through collaboration with living organisms?
Kin*tsugi explores two biological processes: the colonization of broken materials by shiitake mycelium, and microbial-induced calcification using Sporosarcina pasteurii, a bacterium capable of producing calcium carbonate crystals.
Here, repair is no longer a purely human act.
Living organisms respond, grow, and transform according to their own logic and temporality.
Regeneration is not about erasing damage. It is about cultivating new relationships.
Kintsugi* proposes a future in which humans and microorganisms become co-creators in the act of repair.