Final Project – Lisa Leung

Intention:

When starting this project, I wanted to create an object that would help CMU students destress, but also not appear to do as such on the outside. I created it as a product for my friends, but also as a statement against their deteriorating sleep habits in the face of stressful times such as finals or project deadlines. Since I enjoyed printing textiles during the encoded cloth project, I thought I should do the same for my final, and decided to print out one for the exterior (the black hexagons) and two for the interior. I felt that making an object that could transition between two forms instead of being two distinctly different objects reflected what I wanted for my friends: to be able to cope with the stress and work to their full potential but to also be able to remember to practice self-care and wellness, particularly with regards to sleep. I decided to pick a messenger bag because it would still be able to have practical use while encouraging the user to rest.

Process:

I decided to make the exterior black and white to reflect the conforming nature of CMU’s stress culture–to work harder and not smarter–as well as students’ very work-oriented mindset. The honeycomb pattern was to refer to how students at CMU are always “busy as bees” to inject a bit of humor into the topic. The inside was made of two patterns, both modeled after images of the galaxy and subtle auroras to induce a visual representation of something that personally calms me and to remind one to sleep.

Learning:

I still have a long way to go with my sewing skills, but I was pleasantly surprised to realize how much I enjoyed creating my project. If I could do it again, I have many things I would like to add on and improve, such as the sloppy edges and structural integrity of the bag,  an embroidered bee, or a laptop slot for practical use and pockets. I also had a lot of fun painting the galaxy/aurora fabric, although I probably should have dyed the fabric first so it would be less stiff, but it all worked out eventually. All in all, I’ll definitely be revisiting this project in the future and will expand to other objects to introduce aspects of wellness into the lives of my friends.