Swiss bag brand FREITAG partnered with Jingdezhen-based glass studio East Sea Dragon Palace Human Affairs Office (东海龙宫人间办事处) to host a two-day “Glass Clinic” pop-up at its Shanghai Gaozhou Road store on November 7–8, 2026. Artists Qin Yuling (覃钰玲) and Yang Dongheng (杨东衡) took on the roles of “glass doctors,” inviting visitors to bring in chipped, cracked, or broken glass objects and explore potential repair solutions.
The initiative builds on FREITAG’s earlier short film documenting the two artists’ creative practice and their relationship with glass. In their work, bubbles and impurities in recycled glass, as well as marks accumulated during production and use, are embraced as part of the material’s character rather than treated as flaws. Their approach challenges conventional ideas of perfection and highlights the creative possibilities of materials that might otherwise be discarded.
Bringing this perspective into a public-facing setting, the Glass Clinic offered visitors an opportunity to consult directly with the artists about repairing damaged glassware and decorative objects. Rather than immediately replacing broken items, participants were encouraged to consider alternative ways of restoring, reusing, and continuing to live with them. The initiative turns the idea of material circularity into a tangible, hands-on experience, starting with objects already present in people’s everyday lives.
FREITAG has built its design identity around material reuse, originally making bags from discarded truck tarpaulins. Its commitment to circularity also extends beyond product design through repair and exchange services that encourage customers to keep their bags in use for longer.
With the Glass Clinic, FREITAG extends its exploration of material longevity beyond its core product category, bringing the principles of repair and reuse into the wider context of everyday objects. By connecting artistic practice with public participation, the initiative highlights a simple but important idea: damage does not necessarily mark the end of an object’s life, and the value of materials can be rediscovered through repair, creativity, and continued use.
