Mending the Cracks

The Dublin Samaritans with TBWA\ DUBLIN have launched a powerful campaign to show how talking and being listened to helps the process of mending by drawing a comparison to the artistic practice of Kintsugi. Involving a mural by artist Joe Caslin, this ancient Japanese art is brought to life through a visual metaphor to drive awareness of the Samaritan’s round-the-clock provision of services and support to those who need it most.

Kintsugi, a centuries-old artistic practice meaning ‘golden joinery’, involves repairing ceramics that have fallen into disrepair with lacquer and gold. Our lives can be similarly infused with fragility, setbacks and unpredictability - even at the best of times. But our lives much like the ceramics can be repaired and pieced back together with even more beauty. TBWA\Dublin saw parallels between this idea and the vital service provided by the Dublin Samaritans. Talking, and being listened to, can be what pieces things back together. In addition to embracing an openness towards cracks that might have appeared in ourselves, these thoughts are the cornerstone of the Dublin Samaritans - seen through their team of volunteers to listen without judgement, 24/7.

This idea influenced and informed the campaign’s execution as well. Artist Joe Caslin created a portrait of Daragh Fleming onto a wall on Montague Lane that was specifically chosen for its pre-existing cracks. For the timespan of a week the public, as they travelled through the busy walkway, saw it as just a cracked mural. It was only after that week that the cracks were filled with gold, transforming the portrait into something more than a sum of its parts, and enforcing the message that cracks can be more than repaired through talking, and being listened to, by the Dublin Samaritans.

Bolt, TBWA\DUBLIN’s in-house production company, tells this story through a 60” hero video, in which it is clear the Dublin Samaritans have touched the lives of many. The poem accompanying the video is written and read by Daragh, who is the subject of the portrait, and has in the past used the services provided by the Dublin Samaritans. Electronic musician and DJ-duo Bicep also generously provided their track, free of charge.