Assignment 4
Assignment 4
Assignment 1
What's in your bag - My Stuff
Keys
Of course
This is my bag
I am a cyclist, bag by my side.
Each object in my bag is a segment in the chain of my daily needs, as much as the gear chain pulls my bike forward on my day's journey. I change gears as necessary, gearing up or down with the necessities to keep rolling with the day. I see a message in the medium - my bag is made for non-motorized travel, be it a handbag on my shoulder or clinging to the rack on my bike. I promote freedom from vehicles by carrying my bag.
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Navigating the roads, I communicate by signals.
My daily commute is a voyage across five different sectors of the city. The neighbourhoods change colours and smells, and the objects in the surrounding landscape speak volumes about the intrinsic culture of each sector. I start in a family-centered community, where flower-boxed duplexes and bright-balconied triplexes are shuffled together with parks and elementary schools. I signal to stop at each intersection, behind the sharp white line. School crossing guards in reflective vests hold up bright red stop signs to help the young pedestrians reach the opposite sidewalk. I then cross a city park and enter into a neighbourhood with a denser population. Angular, unornamented apartment buildings stand shoulder to shoulder with independent grocery stores and small restaurants. The traffic lights flash green to allow cars to turn. The red hand flips to a bright walking symbol to indicate when pedestrians may cross. The grey asphalt of the road has lines dividing the traffic into two lanes in each direction, and a white bicycle lane denotes my safe passage. I pass through another large intersection and arrive at a chain fence with a gate. The text-free sign indicates that the door must remain closed to keep children from running into traffic. Here, the neighbourhood feels expansive,- space is a luxury they have. Each single residential home houses at least two cars and a manicured garden. A walkway denotes the path that leads to the front steps and the impressive front doors. The only lines on the roads are made by children's chalk drawings. Mature, stately trees provide shade all along the winding roads. One cannot roll too quickly in this neighbourhood as speed bumps are ubiquitous after each intersection, and an unpainted one often rises quietly in the middle of the block as a gentle reminder to reduce the speed. A railway crossing marks the end of this neighbourhood. The bright flashing lights and striped bar signal the passing of the commuter trains, and passengers rush to validate their tickets at the solar-powered machine, or check their schedules against the digital timetable inside the shelter as I cross to the other side. Here, the neighbourhoods have been updated. Condos loom above and flashing lights indicate the opening and closing of the underground parking garage doors. I pass the clump of box stores; the logos acting as a declaration of the franchise-based atmosphere and enter the industrial area. Here, company buildings with grassy front yards and squeaky clean windows shine down both sides of the road. I enter a white building, park my bike, and start my workday. The bag that I carried on the side of my bike through this journey is the bag whose contents I will share in this exercise.
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The bag's contents expose my practical, urban lifestyle.
I store elementals for basic needs, and gear for safety. I carry items for emergencies, and items for observation, and items for making social connections. Each object reflects my values of staying safe, keeping in contact, and being active.
One glance at these contents and the term branding comes to mind. Each object has a brand name or logo attached to it. I could pick up anything, from my university-marked key chain to my generic made-in-China notebook and tell you which company it came from. Even my wallet is branded- with a map of my city!
Elementals are what I consider as protection from the elements and food for energy. A handkerchief, lip balm, hand cream, hat, and sunglasses keep my skin clean and covered. It has taken me years of trial and error to choose my brand for each article. The box of nuts and dried fruits provide me with a ration of energy that can be stored (almost) indefinitely for when I am hungry.
Gear means bike gear accessories. I have pant cuffs to strap over long pants when riding. The cuffs are mismatched as a result of a fun-loving toddler who enjoys exploring the spaces in our home. A shower cap acts as a sunhat to protect my seat from UV rays when I park my bike outdoors. This worked so well for me that my husband now stores a similar shower cap in his bike bag. Biking gloves are a must. Potholes, uneven roads, and the occasional "door" incident has thrown me out of the saddle and onto the unforgiving pavement. The full-fingered gloves are worn from use and abuse instead of my fingertips.
Emergencies are events that occur which prevent me from riding my bike. Sudden rainstorms are the typical emergencies for me. The raincoat doubles as a windbreaker for when I wish to brave the elements, and the reusable cup is my consolation coffee for the times when I walk instead of wheel around. Even the brand on the cup, the name of a favourite independant coffeeshop, brings comfort in inclement weather.
As a scientist, I have learned to make observations. Perhaps it is due to my propensity to observe that I became a scientist. That said, I have always carried a pen and paper with me, from the moment I could stuff them into a pocket.
The smartphone comes with a charger and earphones. This is my current mode for communications. I communicate to make appointments and meet-ups via texting. I keep in touch with friends and families using the camera for photos and videos. My calendar is full of daily or weekly reminders and my school notes and reading assignments are downloaded for perusal on my schedule.
Being active also includes free time. I have a ladybug-shaped watch to keep me on time, and a hacky sack for staying active if I am ahead of time. The Yoda Lego is a fidget toy for when I am to sit still for some time, and what I consider a token of my Maker-nature.
The ensemble of the contents of my bag have a colour theme - red. This is my favourite colour, and it works as a great accent colour for my bag's contents.
Delve into communications; I talk to myself as much as I talk to others.
My first impulse for note-taking is with paper and pen. I can draw out a thought with a few strokes, or share a piece of information by passing on a page. This need for a tactile, visual element to create my communications reflects my visual nature. I draw my thoughts better than I can speak them aloud.
My reminders are digitized on a smartphone, and sharing of thoughts are sent as text messages. It appears that memory is a theme - have these tools become a crutch? I can throw a thought onto a medium instead of committing it to memory. Instead of keeping something in mind, I can text a friend with my idea. I am shaping and storing the message with electrons instead of in neurons.
The handkerchief is a means of non-verbal communications. Tie a knot in one end while keeping a thought in mind has the effect of "holding" that thought within the knot, to be unraveled and remembered later.
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Times have changed... me.
A decade ago, the book that I read would be present in my bag instead of as one of many ebooks on my smartphone. The pen and paper would have been accompanied by a pre-stampled envelope. The friends that I now keep in touch with through the digital medium were penpals in my past.
My wallet used to be fuller! Full of coins, which are now simply rare collections for the occasional coffee. The money in my wallet has been replaced with a plastic, magnet-banded card.
My eco-nature has stayed consistent - I still carry a reusable cup, handkerchief, and sunglasses.
Archaeologists - look for the clues!
My bag shape is designed as practical beauty - and the personal effects evoke someone who has been a girl scout - always prepared! I represent the pedestrian/cyclist hybrid, wtih free time enough to carry toys, and the traveller who spends enough time away from home to require materials to cover the basic needs for food, healthcare, and contact with family and friends.
What's in my bag will tell researchers from the future of the biodegradable fibres used in writing and in some clothing, and the everlasting plastic that our personal effects are now made from. They will determine the level of personal grooming I consider necessary, and the weather conditions that I commute through. If they can extract data from my smartphone, they will learn of the worldwide network of acquaintances that I have, and they will learn about my reading preferences. The photos and videos section will show them my social life, as would the various online social forums that I participate in. My keys will give them a sense of the security level that we consider necessary, and perhaps some food residue would give them a notion of our diet. The Yoda may help place the era of their discovery. The future is theirs to create!