Carrier Bags – Page 2 – MA Design for Social Innovation and Sustainable Futures

Cici’s carrier bag

Hello everyone! I’m Can Guangya. And you can call me Cici. Here is what I have to show for my bag.

As you can see, my bag contains a lot of things that have fallen out of what looks like a kicked over box, and the words that have fallen out are a lot of my vision and understanding of sustainable design. And at the bottom of the image is a sculpture that is thinking, which I metaphorically liken to myself, and these ideas that fall out can enter my brain and combine with something that is concrete and helps me to complete the design. Some specific words and objects are listed below.

Words.

· Welcome: I think design is all about brainstorming, taking in a wide range of knowledge as well as listening to others, so I hope that as a student studying design I can welcome a wide range of peers and information with open arms.

· Redefining: In my postgraduate studies, I think what I need to do is to break out of my original self and redefine myself. To change the way I see the world and the way I see things.

· Trending: As a student of this subject, it is important to pay attention to the trends and needs of the world and society. We need to observe not only the subtle things that happen around us, but also the current events and social trends that are happening in society.

· Nature: Design should go back to nature. The changing laws of nature give us a lot of inspiration for design, so I think I should explore nature and be connected to it.

· Book: Books are essential in my learning process, they give me inspiration to create, but they also help me to improve my designs and change my perception of things.

· Free: I reckon one of the most important things in the design process is to have full freedom and not to be limited by external things. We also need to learn to respect others and give them the freedom to express their opinions.

· Science: All design should respect science, because science is what makes design make sense.

· Happy: I want my designs to be enjoyable for the user, and I wish that my design process is happy and that the people I work with are happy as well.

Objects.

· Computer: The computer plays a very significant role in my design process, I have access to my computer to look up information, use design softwares to create my designs and visualize my designs.

· Mobile phone: As a necessity, I use my mobile phone to communicate with my peers, exchange information, listen to music, look up information, etc.

· Headphones: I enjoy listening to music and it helps me to relieve my mood, so I always take my headphones with me wherever I go.

· Hamburger: I put this picture of a hamburger to represent food, because food helps me replenish energy, so I put some food in my bag.

My Bag – Riya

Rollercoaster!

Starting with the love for colors and paint, through the rigid industrial design, I came into the complex world of design and creativity.

Confusing and anxious over the time! Tried to stay calm at times, because contentment and happiness is what I try to seek! I always wanted to take the less chosen paths, well that does come with consequences! There has been failed missions and some exciting insights over the years. That excitement and curiousness is what keeps me going.

I have always been all over the place, migrating and waiting for resurrection!

Natalya’s Connection Bag

Hello, I’m Natalya Reutova, from Moscow, Russia.

A bag as a form of a container could have different forms and materials. For me, it’s mostly who I am, my thoughts, experiences, dreams and hopes. What represents me as a human being and what I’m ready to share with the world around me.

I believe, to be happy we all should be connected. Connected to nature, to humanity/people and the source of life – to God.

I used to live in Dubai for around 4 years, a city surrounded by desert. I have never thought about it, but I cannot live without greenery. Desert is all beautiful and powerful, but too overwhelming to me. I feel alive in the forest. Running in the forest becomes a powerful tool of meditation and healing for my anxieties.
My female cat Lada had a huge part in my life. I was deeply connected to her, even if I was a hundred miles away from her. She is not with us anymore, but I feel that connection is still there.

To be connected to the source of life, to God, is important to me. My faith plays a huge role in my life and through reading Bible, studying Gods word, praying, I’m feeling connected to him.

iPad here is a metaphor for connecting to people, those close to us and those far away. Since the pandemic, this device also helped to communicate with those located in different cities and countries. Also, it helps to get connected through works that I was able to do digitally. Sadly, such a powerful invention could serve as a form of isolation and cause feelings of loneliness. Sometimes I could feel that too.

Colours help to get connected to artwork, to the feelings artist want to share. I love to use bright colours, a minimalistic flat graphic style that my illustrations shine happiness and create warm feelings. Playing children represent interactive experiences that we were building for our festivals.

I wish to share my experiences in the interactive event master planning field on the course. My ‘Star’, a dream, is to create more connecting interactions of any sort that will help to increase citizens’ happiness levels.

Austin’s starter kit

Hi，I’m Yinfeng Qiu：

My bag contains many electronic devices because they help me to communicate more effectively and they are also my design tools.

#iPad My iPad and Apple pencil help me to work paperlessly and I can record my ideas conveniently.

#Bottle The Chinese proverb “half a bottle of water wobbles” is a constant reminder to me to stay thirsty and keep learning.

# Hard disk We need to keep learning, accumulating and storing knowledge.

#Converters It is a converter of knowledge and helps me to learn and integrate knowledge from different regions.

#Lego Learning is like Lego, there are many different components and materials that need to be put together and perfected over and over again.

#Pencil case Stationery is the medium through which we express ourselves and share our ideas.

#Screwdrivers I like to study the structure and materials of products and a screwdriver helps me to take apart and reorganise my knowledge.

#Books Books can help us to understand the views and knowledge of others.

#Powerback It helps me to keep my energy up at all times and not lose touch with the world.

#Earphones We should keep listening.

#Ties Ties can help us to summarise and sort out the relationships between different things.

#Gamepad Life is like a game, you need to constantly overcome difficulties and upgrade yourself.

#Sunglasses Even if there is blinding sunlight, we still need to stay awake and see the essence of things.

Humans I carry with me

All the objects are gifts that wonderful humans gave me

See full prototype

Frieda’s carrier bag

“Can we make do with what already exists… can we stop producing new things?”

Hi I am Frieda and this is my carrier bag …

background is made out of clippings from the oddboxes which I used to improvise a shelf for my cloths. My roommate and I will share a subscription – I like the concept of this box. It contains fruits and vegetables which otherwise would go to trash. I find it very inspiring to try to just use the things which surrounds me to create the things I need. recycling saves resources. Also what I realised over the last few years, I find freedom and creative space in the „limitation (of material)“.
plants nature is a great inspiration to me. presents the circle of life. nature can repair and multiply itself.
paper-founds I’m always finding things on the streets. I see value in things other people threw away. The paper is not white anymore, turned yellowish over the year it was stored. I like if material tells a story. Stains are defined as an imperfection but we should redefine it as a beautiful detail which tells a story.
frame this frame is always traveling with me. I wrote this quote with the type writer of my grandma. The quote is kind of my life-inspiration-goal.
to-do-list I love lists. helps me to structure myself. since I am doing a lot of things, I need to be very organised.
textile I have a degree in fashion design. Enjoy handcrafting with wool, yarn and textiles.
small things try to see the beauty in small things.
lavender collected this on my first stroll throw Battersea, where I now live.
TransformationDesign something I want to focus on more during this MA program.

Karla’s bag and survival kit

Hello, this is Karla from Mexico.

I have always liked the idea of transformation and I wanted to represent it in my carrier bag. It looks like a cocoon and behaves likewise.

Inside my bag, all the things that I will learn, observe, smell, touch, and taste will transform into beautiful knowledge and experiences.

I think my bag has harmoniously grown among plants, mushrooms and insects, and when I die it will return to the soil without harm.

While my survival kit has all the things that I consider my treasures.

My favourite book. Acridofagia y otros insectos. I admire the author, Julieta Ramos Elorduy, because she made me fall in love with the world of edible insects. Also, she is the only female researcher specialised in the topic from Mexico.
Chocolate. Probably I can survive eating chocolate my entire life. The darker the better.
My glasses. They help me to avoid my clumsiness.
Pictures with my little brother and my friend. I brought two pictures that reflect the love that I have for my family and friends and when I see them I feel close to them.
Remedios Varo’s postcard. She is one of my favourite painters. What I really like is that she portays misticism, magic and the worl of the unconscious mind. I get lost inside her paintings surrounded by her strokes. This postcard was a gift from my little sister and when I see it I remember the words that she told me: I admire you because you are a dreamer.
Hand sanitizer. I use it a lot, specially when I travel by bus or metro.
Hair comb. It reminds me a fly market next to my house in Mexico. It was a gift from the seller and I love how shiny it is and due to it is a vintage piece, I am convinced that is it full of memories.
Lip balm. My lips are always dry so I have an obsession with lip balms. I have try thousands but Vaseline is such a good option.
Fragance. I love citric fragances for spaces. They relax me and create an optimal atmosphere to chill and concentrate when I am stressed out.
Headphones. When I am using my headphones, music transports me into different worlds and it makes me feel energetic and happy.
Surgical mask. I use it all the time in public spaces as a respect gesture.
My beautiful scarf. Probably my most precious accesory. My mother gave it to me during the first months of the worldwide pandemic. I always wear it to remember my mother and the few months that we spent together.
My converse. They are comfortable, compact and resistant and have helped me to explore weird and chaotic places.

Lily’s Carrier Bag

My bag is a backpack because they are a good choice for an adventure. It has a bottle of water so I can stay hydrated and lots of internal pockets to store all my seeds and stars.

My seeds

Notebook and pen

A notebook that’s already partly used, with ideas and knowledge I’ve gathered already and room for new ideas to be written down too.

Photos from my interior design undergraduate degree

Reminders of my previous design experience and skills I already have.

Souvenirs from trips abroad

Representing things I have learnt from travelling and from collaborating with a diverse range of people from all over the world.

My stars

A pair of glasses

Glasses to represent looking for clarity in my aims and areas of interest. I hope to explore different options and discover new things I’m passionate about.

Tote bag

A spare bag for new seeds I hope to collect through the course. The bag has my favourite pin that says ‘Kindness is Power’ to remind me to be kind to everyone I meet along the way.

Lorna Powell | Starter kit

The thinking of my starter kit was founded in the idea of a drill, and emerging from this, a non-linear pathway of interests, concepts and ideas that I intend to explore throughout this course. As I am coming to this course with an interest in systems thinking, this map suggests an interconnectedness between issues, as well as providing an overview of the things I care about, if I lose my way, or need to centre myself.

The drill, as a practical tool that can connect and build new things, reflects my intention for this course, to expand my knowledge base and practical skills, in order to realise something new.

Using a drill is also a skill I recently learnt, which felt really empowering and exciting, and I hope for this feeling to be replicated throughout the course.

I also challenged myself to animate the original starter kit, as a first step in the learning-new-things journey

The colourful, meandering pathway starts with “inner growth”, as I believe that meaningful change in the world comes from first looking within and having a resilient, compassionate and emotionally intelligent personal foundation, from which you interact with the world.

From here, other areas of interest follow:

Degrowth; a political, social and environmental movement that rejects consumerism, capitalism and growth, focusing on slowing down, prioritising social and environmental wellbeing.

Education; I have come from an organisation that works with primary schools, so I have a keen interest in the education system and hope to continue working on this.

Connection; as a community, we will build connection with each other and with communities, on an emotional, academic and professional level.

Future gen; the work I hope to do is with future generations in mind, both human and non-human entities. I am also interested in the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act, that Wales passed in 2015.

Confidence; sometimes I struggle with self-confidence, so I hope that this course will help me grow in this sense.

Protest; I believe that activism, civil disobedience and protest have a large part to play in the building of a new, more just future.

Gentle; this serves as a reminder to be gentle with myself if I am struggling, as well as how I treat others.

Anti-capitalism; see “Degrowth”

Imagined futures; coming from a place of Active Hope, I will use the power of imagination and hope for the future to source much-needed energy and momentum for the upcoming year.

Mental health; I worked for the past two years at a children’s mental health charity, and struggle with my own mental health. Mental health and wellbeing will be at the heart of a lot of my work, as I believe that personal, emotional wellbeing is intrinsically linked to global, planetary wellbeing.

Fungi; fungal networks are life-giving, inspiring systems. I would like to research more into how they can improve biodiversity and planetary health.

Land; land rights, growing vegetables, agriculture.

Ecosystems; life-sustaining, everywhere.

Systems; everywhere, constructed and complex.

“Dig deeper”: this card comes from a pack of cards called “We are not really strangers”. The game encourages conversations on a deeper emotional level and aims to produce genuine connections between friends, families, partners and strangers. It is my belief that if we, as a society, are going to overcome social and environmental challenges, we need to connect to each other on a deeper level, to have emotionally vulnerable conversations and to truly understand one another.