Leonard Buyse

Graduated as an Industrial product designer in 2018, I believe that the story behind a product is always important, it adds a second layer to the object. Although this second layer is not always visible, the design process will have more depth and it strengthens the final state of the design.

Industrial Kintsugi
Kintsugi “The art of gold repair” is an art form that originated in Japan and was mostly used to repair broken ceramics and porcelains. The philosophy behind this technique is that a repaired product holds more value than the original state it was in. This due to the amount of eort and craftsmanship needed to restore it. Once repaired the object carries a history – the cracks are marks of its past. Based on this ancient Japanese art form, I developed an altered technique and called it “Industrial Kintsugi”. These wooden panels used to be die-cut shapes to punch out cardboard designs. After it fulfilled its purpose it was stacked in the back of a factory to eventually be thrown away. Coming across this dusty stack of old industrial panels I was determined to create something with them. After experimenting I was able to turn these abandoned panels into a unique product.