We are taking a journey into how philosophies of repair, tending and rebuilding can be a mindful practice that helps both individuals and a community heal.

As covid-19 has broken us, we repair in a new, beautiful way.
We don’t try to hide these breaks and damage, but we repair our town and community - creating something unique and powerfully beautiful.

The starting ground lies in Japanese philosophies of Wabi Sabi & Kintsui and worked out through the practice of Rock Gardens

Wabi-sabi is succinctly  described as ‘the beauty in imperfections’.

Kintsugi is the repairing of broken things, making them something beautiful in a new way. This is best seen in pottery, where broken shards are reconnected with gold seams making beautiful pieces.

I see this project as a social Kintsugi, worked out through the mindful practice of rock gardens, sometimes called zen gardens.

We are seeking participants to become ‘gardeners’ who regularly tend a set of sand and rock gardens throughout Dumfries.  This will be a mediative practice, a healing through maintaining, tending, designing and redesigning over a period of a few months.
Rocks or different shaped objects are placed on the field of sand, rakes are used to mark patterns and shapes into the sand, left for the day and a new design created the next day.

If you are interested in taking part click here, to send me a message with your name and I will be in contact.