THE REPAIR ATELIER
ART and DESIGN in REUSE
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LEXICON OF REPAIR

This Lexicon is an extension to the “Lexicon of Repair” from the book Repair: Sustainable Design Futures edited by Markus Berger and Kate Irvin, Routledge 2023, and expands the books 12 samplings of reparative philosophies and methods practiced around the world within different cultures, religions, and languages. Some in this inventory of key concepts of repair have been around for centuries, while others are much more recent. We aim to expand the initial 12 lexicon entries from the book (snapshots in the cultural world of reparative thinking and practice), they represent a wide array of rooted practices that we hope will spark interest in further research on the myriad examples of global traditions and modes of repair not included in this vocabulary.

PLEASE submit here your contributions to above topics- we will soon transfer all these entries to a Digital Commons Site hosted by the RISD Library.

Zi Zhu Chuang Xin 自主创新

By Jiayi Wang

Zi Zhu Chuang Xin combines two words “Zi Zhu” and “Chuang Xin”. “Zi Zhu” means being able to solve problems or make decisions by oneself independently and responsibly without being swayed by others. “Chuang Xin” means innovation in various fields and events. In a certain sense, the word is an invention (by the government) to broadcast a certain kind of collective spirit and appeal to the public to improve our creativity during daily production to push economic growth. 

 

Instead “Zi Zhu Chuang Xin”, I prefer to use words like “Zi Zhi” (made by one’s own), “DIY” (do it yourself), or “Gai Zao” (transform, modify, remake), to describe literally making or transforming something with our own hands. These words describe a departure from the economic market, they focus on an original demand, they express individualities, and propose a resistance to industrial reproduction.


Markus Berger