12/10/2021
The proof of gold is in the fire.
Golds modern association with corruption and blinged up celebrities has transformed it into a symbol of excess, cultural domination and even tackiness. But there is another side to gold - if we focus on its natural properties snd practicality.
I have long admired the Japanese art of repairing ceramics that uses gold as a binder - kintsugi. This morning, much to my delight I discovered another cultural practice here in my backyard at Chamrajapet. I had some years ago visited the and was delighted at the beautifully laid out walk through the practitioners / karigars workspace. It was organised seamlessly - sanitary in a way that everything and everyone was accounted for. It made me feel proud of how advanced our jewellery making techniques was. Today’s experience was - well different. At a local goldsmiths shop I witnessed a practice in a setting that has not changed for about 200 years. I took pride in different things - as an ancient culture we in India “recreate” and “remake” new jewellery from old gold - wasting nothing and making the object more useful than before. It struck me much like kintsugi - the principle behind our practice in India has made gold an unlikely champion of restrained and appropriate application in an otherwise consumerist society.
