Broken

2025 | HD Video | 4’40”

Broken is an instructional video that shows you how to repair a broken piece of ceramic with rivets. The video covers all the steps; from making the rivets from a sheet of brass, to the final polishing of these rivets once they are placed in the ceramic.
Rather than a voicover explaining these steps, the voiceover tries to figure out for himself why sometimes we use the word “broken” and sometimes we don't. Does it depend on the material that objects are made of or does it depend on to what extent we can repair them? The ceramic sculptures in the shape of sandwiches, are a direct reference to this. After all, why don't we call sandwiches broken?
Broken is a reflection on our relationship with the objects we surround ourselves with. It shows how the expectations we have of objects can create tensions and fractures.

“Yet in the end, I think it is something else. Because the fixing of a flat tire, in fact, got me thinking about the expectations that we have of certain objects. Because If I buy a new bike tire, I am sure it will go flat at some point. The world is full of shards of glass and other sharp objects, and especially if you live in the city, a flat tire is to be expected.”

Installation view at Kate Art Space, Amsterdam, the Netherlands | Photo by Thomas Lenden

Realized with the support of the Mondriaan Fonds

Voiceover: Doug Eynon
Camera & Light: Jonas Beerts
Music: Gijs Milius

Thanks to Atelier Tropique, Brussels