Broken: Mending and Repair in a Throwaway World - Hardcover

by Katie Treggiden (Author), Jay Blades (Foreword by)

- This book shows how the broken can be as beautiful or valuable as the new- Topics such as sustainability and the circular economy have never been more urgent- Lavishly illustrated with over 200 illustrations and behind-the-scene shots- Includes inspiring makers, artists and designers from around the globeWe live in a single-use society, where fashion is fast, disposability is the norm and it is easier to replace than to repair. We don't need to mend things anymore - and yet we do. What is it about Homo faber - man the maker - that cannot resist fixing what is broken? As we start to decouple from the linear take-make-waste model that has dominated Western economies since the Industrial Revolution and seek something more circular, an enquiry into what mending means has never been more urgent. With a foreword by The Repair Shop's Jay Blades, this new book by craft and circularity advocate Katie Treggiden celebrates 25 artists, curators, designers and makers who have rejected the allure of the fast, disposable and easy in favor of the patina of use, the stories of age and the longevity of care and repair. Accompanying these profiles, six in-depth essays explore the societal, cultural and environmental roles of mending in a throwaway world.

Author Biography

Katie Treggiden is a design historian and craft writer with almost 20-years experience in the creative industries. Following a 12-year career in advertising, marketing and brand strategy, Treggiden became a craft and design journalist in 2010, focusing on creativity as a positive agent for social change. She has written four books (including Wasted. When Trash Becomes Treasure, Urban Potters: Makers in the City; Weaving: Contemporary Makers on the Loom, published by Ludion), established an award-winning blog and an independent magazine, and regularly contributes to publications such as The Guardian, Crafts Magazine, and Monocle 24. Jay Blades is a British furniture restorer and television presenter.