BEHIND THE SCENES
Discover the process behind the making of the Restoration Pot, with Artist and Spatial Designer Trini-Maria Katakwe.
The journey of creating the Restoration Pot began with an approach rooted in co-creation. The messages already carried their own meaning, conviction and urgency. My role was to build upon and amplify them through my artistic interpretation and material choices. Moving between digital composition and hands-on fabrication allowed the work to take different forms while remaining connected by a shared intention.
The digital experience became an opportunity to create an archive of these collective voices, allowing audiences to explore messages from different parts of the world. Within the 3D experience, selected messages reveal further information through interactive hotspots. Together, they create a space where visitors can immerse themselves in the words, beliefs and hopes of those contributing to the campaign.
For the physical artwork, I drew inspiration from the Japanese art of kintsugi, in which broken pottery is repaired using lacquer and precious metals, often gold. I was drawn to the idea that repair does not have to conceal what has been broken. Instead, the cracks become part of the object's story.
I translated this idea into a tapestry, bringing together 56 fragments of individual messages and graphics. The artwork was digitally composed and printed onto fabric before I began stitching, using gold rattail cord and carefully placed beadwork to connect the fragments. These gold details became a way of bringing the different elements together, allowing each message to retain its own identity while contributing to a larger collective whole.
My hope is that the Restoration Pot demonstrates how creativity, collaboration and storytelling can become platforms for change, particularly in response to global crises that can sometimes feel distant from our everyday lives. Climate and debt justice are not separate from who we are or how we live. They are connected to our communities, our relationships and the futures we collectively shape.
Through faith, creativity and collective action, I have found beauty in the cracks. I hope this work encourages us to look more closely at the things that connect us, listen to the voices around us and recognise how each of us can play a part in creating change.
By Trini-Maria Katakwe
Artist Bio:
Trini-Maria Katakwe is a London-based Spatial Designer, Cultural Strategist and founder of TMK Studio, with a decade of interdisciplinary experience across architecture, scenography and digital arts. Her practice explores the intersection of identity, culture and place through immersive and community-driven spatial experiences rooted in design, storytelling and cultural connection.
Based at Somerset House Exchange, she collaborates with brands, institutions and cultural organisations to reimagine the built environment as a platform for dialogue, belonging and forward-thinking cultural engagement. Through TMK Studio, she brings together creative direction, spatial design and cultural strategy to develop experiences that connect people, places and ideas.
Discover more of her work: