Repair - a book overview

Repair: Sustainable design futures edited by Markus Berger and Kate Irvin and published 2022 by Routledge.

With the increased interest in repair as a means to increase the longevity of material goods, this book, written by researchers in the arts, built environment, and engineering disciplines, provides an academic study into the topic. The chapters draw on ethnographic, design and social theories and are written in the creative arts genre

Following the introduction by the editors, the book follows into a series of chapters, organised into 4 sections. Chapters vary in length and most contain photos to provide examples and support concepts.

The first section ‘reparative thinking broken worlds’ has 7 chapters.

These introduce the many ways ‘repair’ can be understood. Metaphors and frameworks/models are the lenses used to cast light on the many shapes ‘repair’ can take.

Section two ‘Reparative practices, wounds, sutures, and scars’ has another 7 chapters.

These chapters, provide examples of how ‘repair’ is actioned through creative arts. Various contexts are explored and the accompanying mix of research methodologies and ways to ‘report’ the ‘findings’ provide for an eclectic mix of chapters.

The third section ‘Reparative thinking - alternative ways’ 7 chapters.

These chapters have more of an discussive slant, challenging the ‘status quo’ and introducing many other ways to view ‘repair’.

The last section ‘Reparative practice- patched and reassembled’ has 8 chapters.

Here, the chapters report on studies which have more descriptive foundations across a range of contexts.

An epilogue by the editors and a lexicon of repair closes the book.