DOUBLE STICHT

In today’s society, any failure or anything which presents a defect tends to be discarded or thrown away. It is cheaper and even immediate to acquire a new device rather than repairing a broken one. This pattern is also observed at the emotional level, where human relationships become increasingly more and more superficial and disposable.

Maintenance and care constitute a lower-status activity in our society. In a society that tends to boast innovation and permanent creation more than ever, both are perceived as “dirty work”.

At an age dominated by hyper-consumption and casualness, we are told that maintenance does not build up, does not add value. Or in other words, maintenance is not part of what is now known as “creative class”.

Then, we could ask ourselves: has consumer society affected the act of repairing? Looking forward to answering that question, my research suggests some meditation. For this reason, in this video, the focus has been put on the metaphor of significant elements defined, such as: Life – Work and Skill, Shoemender – Shoe and Person, Injury – Stitching and Repair, Loss – Recovery and Learning.

——— Ricardo Hernandez