Repair, Regather

Repair, Regather, a community engagement project, explores the potential of artistic labor for local communities. This project happened from May 15 to June 15, 2024, in Valga, Estonia, as a part of the residency program at VARES. I opened my studio as a repair shop and leveraged my skills as an artist, professional carpenter, and amateur seamster to repair local residents’ furniture and clothes. The core idea is to explore the potential of my labor for local communities and rebuild our relationship with everyday objects. Through conversations with residents, I aimed to highlight the unique stories and contexts of their relationships with their belongings. On the last day of the residency program, I held a one-day exhibition/event presenting the various objects I had repaired. All collaborators and local residents were invited to the event, offering a welcoming space for the community members to gather, interact, and reflect on what artistic labor can do for the community and what it means to repair, recycle, and rebuild our relationship with everyday objects, and to create a communal space for regathering.

Examples of repaired items and the process

1. Coffee Table