INSPIRATION

Touch is our earliest way of understanding the world, yet as adults it becomes restricted. What remains close to us are the objects we carry. Bags quietly archive habits, anxieties, and comfort—revealing emotional relationships hidden in everyday actions.

DESIGN INTENT

Reflection over efficiency
Ambiguity over clarity
Coexistence over comparison

70%

carry at least one uncommon or unexpected item

55%

carry 15+ items in their bag on a normal day

90%

of who is in a relationship carry at least 1 item related to their partner

EMOTION-BASED OBJECT TAXOMOMY

Interviews revealed that objects are often carried for emotional reassurance rather than use. This led to an emotion-based taxonomy that reads belongings as relationships—comfort, intention, identity, and inner life—inviting reflection instead of evaluation.

Comfort

What makes us feel anchored, safe, or emotional grounding in unfamiliar or shifting environments.
Sample items: medicine, lip balm, hand cream, tissues, snacks, small personal accessories.

Productivity

What helps us navigate daily tasks and goals, maintaining focus, efficiency, and a sense of control.

Sample items: laptop, charger, notebook, planner, headphones, power bank.

WHY GARDEN?

Flowers allow emotional variation without hierarchy. Each object becomes a flower, expressing its relationship rather than its function. Multiple flowers gather into a bouquet, mirroring how objects coexist inside a bag—different, personal, and unranked. As bouquets accumulate, they form a garden: a shared space shaped by presence, not comparison.

Expression

What chosen to communicate identity, taste, or mood, often serving as visible markers of how one wishes to be seen.

Sample items: keychain accessories, stickers, fashion accessories, uniquely designed objects.

Inner Self

What we keep private, meaningful, or sacred, carrying personal meaning that may not be shared or explained.
Sample items: handwritten notes, old receipts, photos, charms, letters, sentimental tokens.

HOW IT WORKS?

Object is captured
Message is written
Object becomes a flower
Flowers gather into a bouquet
Bouquets accumulate into a shared garden
Objects reply in print receipt

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

A Garden I Carry is an interactive experience that explores the emotional relationships people form with the objects they carry every day. By inviting participants to select an item from their bag, write a short message to it, and receive a printed response, the project reframes everyday belongings as relational presences rather than functional tools. Each object is translated into a generative flower, flowers gather into personal bouquets, and bouquets collectively form a shared garden. Through this process, the work shifts attention from utility to feeling, creating a reflective space where private habits, memory, and care quietly surface through interaction.

A CONVERSATION

The interaction takes the form of a quiet conversation. Users write a brief message to an object they carry, and the object responds in print—shifting everyday belongings from tools into gentle companions.

KEYFRAMES