Urban Nomad Bag Project
In preparation for the New York Times article, Penelope Green and I discussed urban camping for a couple hours on the phone.
I love the article and the way it shifted to the couchsurfing community. Not only because I'm very fond of Casey's work, but also because I believe the things we build shouldn't always match the blueprints: artwork, articles, life.
I told her that I really see her as a sort of documentary film maker in a way, collecting lots and lots of material and then nurturing a story as it emerges.
When we emailed briefly after the article was published, she said, "... your pack! that's what i miss most..."
In our discussions, I had emailed her a link to a photo of one version of my nomad pack where I had carried tiny bits of lots of items, things you might need from your office, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom.
She asked for a list that included these items plus an outline of the versatile wardrobe housed in my Karrimor (airport 70L) suitcase (that converts into a backpack).
The pack is always under construction. I find smaller or better products or I wear out perfect items of clothing and have to try to find replacements.
I was inspired along the way by Doug Dyment's 'one bag' site, where he shows you how to travel pretty much anywhere - for an indefinite length of time - with a single (carry-on-sized) bag.
Recently, I've come across Deborah Tan, who developed The Urban Nomad Bag Project (see pictures and read more) as part of her senior thesis with which she graduated from Parsons last year. The theme of her senior thesis was ‘A Good Life - design for social change’.
I love the article and the way it shifted to the couchsurfing community. Not only because I'm very fond of Casey's work, but also because I believe the things we build shouldn't always match the blueprints: artwork, articles, life.
I told her that I really see her as a sort of documentary film maker in a way, collecting lots and lots of material and then nurturing a story as it emerges.
When we emailed briefly after the article was published, she said, "... your pack! that's what i miss most..."
In our discussions, I had emailed her a link to a photo of one version of my nomad pack where I had carried tiny bits of lots of items, things you might need from your office, kitchen, living room, bedroom, bathroom.
She asked for a list that included these items plus an outline of the versatile wardrobe housed in my Karrimor (airport 70L) suitcase (that converts into a backpack).
The pack is always under construction. I find smaller or better products or I wear out perfect items of clothing and have to try to find replacements.
I was inspired along the way by Doug Dyment's 'one bag' site, where he shows you how to travel pretty much anywhere - for an indefinite length of time - with a single (carry-on-sized) bag.
Recently, I've come across Deborah Tan, who developed The Urban Nomad Bag Project (see pictures and read more) as part of her senior thesis with which she graduated from Parsons last year. The theme of her senior thesis was ‘A Good Life - design for social change’.
"The Urban Nomad collection consists of three convertible bags, all designed with the Hmong philosophy of never furnishing one’s home with anything that couldn’t be carried on one’s back."
- ‘The Office’: a messenger bag that unfolds into a work-station
- ‘The Closet’: a backpack that unfolds into wall-hanging storage for your wardrobe
- ‘The Toilette’: a shoulder bag that unfolds into a 2-sided unit that hangs over the bathroom door. One side holds toiletries, and the other, towels and a change of clothing.
posted by Jennifer Metz at Saturday, September 29, 2007
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