#MAZDADISCOVERS

THE ANCIENT ART OF KINTSUGI

ABOUT MAZDA DIS­CO­VERS

Our #MazdaDiscovers YouTube series explores some of Europe’s most unique craftsmen, combining traditional techniques with a modern twist to create incredible objects, art and culinary experience. Just like Mazda - skilled craft is in our DNA. Their stories are told by YouTube creators who value their craft. On our latest episode we travel from London to Paris to learn the ancient art of Kintsugi - repairing broken pottery with gold.

THIRD EPI­SO­DE

The third episode of #MazdaDiscovers follows Joe Allam, as he travels from London to Paris to meet one of Europe's most well-renowned Japanese lacquer and kintsugi artists, Nicolas Pinon. Nicolas is on a mission to combine the heritage and techniques he's learnt over many years from his teacher in Japan, with his modern art style.

Nicolas Pinon has spent years perfecting the art of Kinsugi - an ancient Japanese technique of repairing broken pottery with a mix of lacquer and gold. Joe took the Mazda3 to visit his studio in Paris, to find out how Nicolas gives new life to the ceramics he works with and makes them even more beautiful than before. The craft of Kintsugi is not about hiding damage, but transforming something from a previous state into something new.

 

Joe discovers the intricacies of Kintsugi, and how the technique is based on an ancient tradition of Wabi-Sabi; meaning an acceptance of finding beauty in imperfection and not wasting anything.
“I respect the shape of the first piece and I want that in its second life… Maybe at the first look you have of the ceramic, you don’t see the Kinsugi. You think it’s a perfect piece. Then you think, oh no, it’s a repair.”

Each piece can take Nicolas up to a month to create and in the third Mazda Discovers episode you can see the care, precision and skill that goes into every piece.

 

Be on the lookout for our upcoming episodes, as we embark on another journey, to uncover dedicated and skilled artisans. Next you’ll discover the world of handmade hat-making in Switzerland.

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PREVIOUS EPISODES

SURFBOARD SHAPING IN PORTUGAL

The first episode follows the Boisset brothers Mikel and Alex, filmmakers from Spain, as they take the Mazda CX-5 from Madrid to Lisbon to meet the founder of wooden surfboard shapers Yoni Surfboards.

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PASTA MAKING IN ITALY

The second episode in our #MazdaDiscovers series sees German YouTubers, Lilia and Kai, travel from Cologne to Rome to meet one of Italy's most well known nonnas, Nonna Nerina, who’s on a mission to share her traditional craft of pasta making with the next generation.

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