Some people just can’t follow the rules of the game. You state it clearly in the Newsletter, asking people to come to the opening with a broken object, still some of the guest gets it wrong. It is of course okay not to bring something at all, but if you do choose to bring something, how hard is it to pick something broken?

Rodrigo Carazas Portal came to the opening with a bit of 2×4″ plank, rough and weathered and with the white paint on its front peeling off. When I asked him what was wrong with the plank, he didn’t say it was worn or that the paint was coming off; no, he said that it was lost. And only after considering for a few seconds. My guess is, he just improvised in the moment, because he didn’t know what was wrong with the plank, because he had completely forgotten that he was supposed to bring a broken object. My guess is, he just picked the plank up on the way, when someone reminded him he should have something with him. At least though, he brought in an object at all. And fair enough, it did seem lost.

The three resourceful girls upstairs quickly sourced me his address, and also his geo-coordinates. I preferred the coordinates. That way, if his plank ever got lost again, it could be helped back home again, wherever it was. Also, the numbers look better than just a street name. The compass fitted in the end of the plank is a small and cheap addition, but in a way it transforms the entire object. It was important that they were beautifully painted on the plank, to counter the off-handedness of Rodrigo’s own gesture, and also to make sure it stayed desirable enough not to get lost again. This piece also perfectly illustrates one of the main tenets of The Temporary Art Repair Shop; radically increasing the value of something useless, by means of labour, craft and creativity.