Artist Hélène Gugenheim Weaves Gold Into People's Scars, Showing The Beauty In Overcoming Adversity

Artist Weaves Gold Into People's Scars To Tell Their Heroic Stories
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An artist is weaving gold into people's scars to tell stories of how they've bravely overcome the struggles life has thrown at them.

Hélène Gugenheim applied gold to people's scars to show their "strength and fragility".

The scars are a result of anything from battling cancer to being involved in a horrific accident or surviving injustice.

Speaking about her photography project on her website, Gugenheim said: "Each scar tells a story, in which we are the hero."

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Gugenheim explained that the art of weaving gold into scars was inspired by Kintsugi – a Japanese practice which celebrates broken pottery by repairing pieces with gold lacquer.

She said that the scar is a mark of a wound but, conversely, is also "vibrant proof" of the healing process and a sign that "we have overcome tragedies".

She added: "The scar is therefore a witness to our reconstruction and the sign of our capacity to adapt, to reinvent ourselves or even mutate. In that regard, we all are gods."

The photographs below feature two subjects, Marie, who has undergone a mastectomy and Olivier, who was born with a severe haemangioma - a benign tumour of blood vessels - on his face.

In both instances, Gugenheim has woven gold beautifully into their scars, to show just how amazing they are for overcoming such hardship.

For Marie's pictures: Hélène Gugenheim, "Mes cicatrices Je suis d’elles, entièrement tissé.", Marie, May 13, 2015. Photo: Aurélien Mole. Gilding: Manuela Paul-Cavallier

For Olivier's picture: Hélène Gugenheim, "Mes cicatrices Je suis d’elles, entièrement tissé.", Olivier, September 15, 2015. Photo: Florent Mulot. Gilding: Louise Dumont