Rachel Sussman Follows Japanese Kintsukoroi Tradition To Fix Road Cracks

Roads with gold were inspired by the Japanese practice of ceramic repair. As part of the "Sidewalk Kintsukoroi" series, artist Rachel Sussman fixes cracks in the urban environment with gold.

The concept of roads with gold resulted after Sussman was introduced to the kintsukoroi tradition, which is also called kintsugi. According to reports, this is a Japanese tradition, in which broken pottery is mended with gold dust and glue. Specifically, a photograph found on social media showing a shattered bowl reassembled with gold caught the artist's attention, leading to her discovery of the said Japanese practice.

Roads with gold artist noted that the cracks represent something that needs some attention, and that the surfaces people walk, drive and bike over are often overlooked until they reach the critical condition. She further mentioned that through gilding, people will be able to notice everything around with fresh eyes.

Meantime, the artist of roads with gold is currently focused on determining the connections between the cosmic time and the individual. Incidentally, Sussman believes that even repairs will also be destroyed eventually, as they will be walked on and ultimately will be overwritten with something else. She further explained that this is due to the transient nature of things in the universe, which means it is only appropriate for men to value the time they have, HyperAllergic reported.

Meanwhile, the Gold Coast City Council is likely to spend an additional $10 million to solve the road congestion in the next financial year. Moreover, the council plans to increase the road funding from its $90 million to $100 million through the money rasied by an 80 percent increase in developer contributions.

According to reports, the funding will be allocated to a lot of projects such as upgrades to the Sundale Bridge at Southport, Old Coach Road at Mudgeeraba. Meantime, Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate announced that road congestion was a major problem for ratepayers, ABC reported. Watch Rachel Sussman: The Oldest Living Things in the World here: