³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ

Arriving at the barn with a painting in need of restoration is Gaspare Frazzitta. He’s excited about enlisting the help of the barn’s art conservator, Lucia Scalisi, to bring a beloved 1860s painting of his hometown Marsala, in Sicily, back from a sorry state. The painting was given to him by his grandfather, who he adored as a child. He worked in a winery for 50 years, which is where the painting hung. It depicts Garibaldi arriving at Marsala by boat to start the unification of Italy, and he fell in love with it. When he retired, it was handed to him as a present, and it hung in his living room, where Gaspare admired it throughout his childhood. In 2020, when his grandfather passed away, the painting was finally handed down to him. Lucia must tackle deep cracks and losses that have been crudely filled in with paint to preserve the painting. When Gaspare returns to the barn, he’s in awe of what she’s achieved.

Claire Woolston has a treasured family keepsake – a small stained-glass angel – lovingly made for her by her mother in her time of need. She hopes resident stained glass expert Matt Nickels can help piece together the cracks it suffered after a window left open caused it to fall and shatter. Claire suffered debilitating anxiety and depression in her 20s, but her mum was always there for her, picking up the pieces. One day, she presented her with the angel and said, ‘I think you might need this.’ Claire was puzzled, but when her mum quickly fell ill and passed away just two weeks later, she knew it was meant as a guardian angel to look over her. She hung it immediately and it always made her think of her mum and feel protected. When it got smashed, Claire was heartbroken but determined to see it hung up shining in the light again. She is keen to keep the cracks, as she feels they represent the struggles she went through. She asks Matt to try his hand at the Japanese art of kintsugi, which embraces and celebrates flaws rather than hiding them. Despite never having used the technique, he takes on the challenge, and the result takes Claire’s breath away, reminding her of both her beloved mum as well as her own difficult experiences.

The next visitor is former art school student Colin Bourne, who comes armed with the funkiest pair of pop art shoes for cobbler Dean Westmoreland. Bought on Kensington Church Street in London back in 1970 when Colin was an art student, he recalls spending his entire term’s student grant to pay for the bright yellow and red boots. Later, he discovered that Elton John also had a pair. Colin wore them every day despite his father’s distaste. Now, they represent a point in his life where he was striding out on his own and making decisions for himself. He even got married in them. Finally, his beloved boots were hung up, but not before they’d seen plenty of action. Dean must tackle the split soles and faded red and yellow leather to return them to their former glory and transport Colin straight back to his heady art school days.

The next item is a challenging restoration for paper conservator Louise Drover as she meets Jaishmin Shah, who’s desperate to preserve the memory of her mum with a well-travelled piece of art. The painting originates from India in 1959. As a young girl, Jaishmin’s mum was taken on a pilgrimage by her father, where she chose the painting herself. It depicts Jainism, a religious way of life that brings the least amount of harm to other living things. From India, it travelled to Uganda with her mum, where the family lived until having to flee political upheaval. The painting always made her mum feel safe, protected and connected to home, so she rolled it in a sari and crammed it into their only suitcase before they arrived to live in a refugee camp in the UK. There, it took pride of place for nine months and was a source of strength to her mum during such uncertain times. Her mum died in 2015, and Jaishmin has clung to the painting ever since. But where it had been rolled, the creases have caused damage. Cracks and loss of pigment have also left it seeing better days. In her efforts to restore it, Louise discovers a major tear but also reveals the painting contains real gold. And with her midas touch, she works her magic, and as soon as Jaishmin sets eyes on it, it becomes a talisman that makes her feel like her mum did – safe and connected – in her case, to the memory of her mother.