Carried Away

A collection of bags from all over the world that are significant because of their cultural roles, including army kitbags, a sporran, a bag made out of an albatross foot, and high-fashion handbags.

Handbags, plastic bags, backpacks, chatelaines, kete, briefcases, inro, misers' purses, basikete, and medicine bags … these multiple forms reflect the bag's diverse uses across many cultures.

But what's the social and historical significance behind this universal object we tote about day to day? Who carries a bag? And who doesn't? What do we put in them? And how do we unpack their value and meaning?

The exhibition Carried Away: Bags Unpacked features more than 150 bags from Auckland Museum's Applied Arts and Design Collection, a nationally significant research archive of works by key makers and designers from New Zealand and abroad, alongside key objects from the History, Taonga Maori, Pacific, and Ethnology collections. This book serves as both a visual catalogue of the exhibition and an exploration of the symbolism and power behind bags.