I am creating a project about women and their handbags. If you would like to take part in a piece of art it is so easy to participate! Please could you take a few minutes to read my article, answer the questions at the bottom and email the answers back to me using the contact form. I would also love some photos of your bag and some objects. If you want to send photo email me and I will email an address to send them to. Also if there is anything in my article that resonates with you I would love to hear from you. Thank you so much for your support and contributions!
Ever
since I was tiny my parents laughed at me because I was like a a little bag
lady carrying hundreds of bags wherever I went, all stuffed with all my special
things. My Mum said that I inherited it from my Granny who had a number of
bags, all for different things and occasions. The difference was that she used
them all at the same time, not in rotation, and not using particular
favourites. She could never find the bag she wanted or the incredibly important
thing she was looking for. Yes I have inherited her scattiness too and I hold
on to it with pride.
Handbags
are special, if you were asked to go into your Mum’s when you were a child it
meant you had been given special permission and limited access. The
ramifications if you went in there on your own rouge expedition for hidden
sweets and forbidden coins were unthinkable…let alone the shame of violating
such a private space.
Most
women have some form of handbag, something uniform they will always have, but
no two is ever the same. We all have the same central things keys, purse, phone
but in the other items the person’s personality starts to shine through. Why do
we have these things? Things you need; things you want, stuff you don’t even
known how it got in there, things other people have put in there, that thing
that will make or break your day, the all important thing your young child
needs. The men I know think handbags are a joke, but I always have the thing we
need, the tickets, the pass, the thing they don’t want to carry! Call me a
romantic George Clooney fan (I am). I loved the bit in One Fine Day when
Michelle Pfiffer has the most appalling day, her son misses the school trip so
he has to come work with her as she pitches an idea to a client. Her work day is
saved by the contents of her handbag, oh and a little by George Clooney.
I
find these odd things fascinating, each thing has a story. Some have
sentimental or superstitious value. Some things trace where you have been
recently in your life. The list of things I carry for my daughter ‘just incase’
is enormous. That sadly is changing as she wants to make a stab at her own
independence and carries her own bag which is full of things that are just as
precious and private. One more ‘Mum job’ is made redundant.
When
I was commuting my bag performed another role. It was my survival kit that
helped me get through the day. Leaving early in the dark with food packages to
eat. Emergency make up kit to help me create a presentable barrier between me
and the day. My music to make my cocoon that I needed in the morning last a bit
longer. I would have my tickets and change ready to stop any embarrassing
fumbling for things. Sunglasses for the sun, umbrella for the rain, prepared
for any eventuality. A notebook incase inspiration struck in those empty hours
travelling. It usually did, helping to persuade me that this soulless job
was temporary and I would do what I was meant to be doing soon. A necklace to
remind me people loved me while I was out on my own and a bracelet I made to
remind me of who I was. Looking back I realize all the strategies I created
using my things to function and get myself through the day. I am glad that my
things don’t carry that kind of weight any more.
I
don’t like big bags as I don’t want to be weighed down by baggage, my own or
others - the more space you have the more stuff you can put in. I do not want a small bag that I have to fight
with constantly. I don’t want a large bag with a black hole at the bottom where
things disappear never to be seen again. I want pockets in the right places, the right size for my
objects. Easy access at my finger tips. A bag that feels just right. Do the bag
manufactures know what I want? This is why I feel bereft when a bag is too
old, broken or grubby and dies. I loose an old friend who travelled with me and
had all the things I needed. Always in colours and patterns that made me smile.
What does your handbag say about you?
What things do you always have on you because you feel you need them?
What things do you have because you want them? Is there any added value to those things like sentimental or superstitious value?
Is there stuff in your bag that you don't actually want in there? Junk included?
Do you have things in your bag that describe your relationship to others?
Do you have particular things in your bag that describe different roles that you hold at the moment?
What is your favourite thing in your bag? Why is it your favourite?
Do any of the objects in your bag have any interesting stories?
Are there things that describe your weekly or daily routine?
What would you be lost without and why?
There will be updates on how the project develops. Thank you again for your contributions. Xx
