Brooklyn Bound

I saw a man on the subway today carrying a large wicker box inside of a larger plastic bag. He'd taken the bag and, through each of of the handles, tied one end of a second bag, making a handle out of that second bag. It was pretty ingenious, except for the fact that the handle for the actual wicker box hung out of the bag. It would have been so much easier to just carry the box.

Things that carry things are fascinating. Boxes are awesome because they're convenient. Any carrying device that enforces its own shape upon its item, I rate an A+. Have you ever seen a hat box that closely mimics the shape of the hat? What's the point of that? The box isn't sturdier than the hat. And it's not easily stacked. It only protects the hat from dust, which isn't a big accomplishment considering the fact that you could put the hat in a plastic bag, which would provide a great cost advantage. One day I'm going to make an entire conceptual ceramic art series that is composed entirely of functional boxes for everyday things that are shaped exactly like the thing they enclose. To me, this is hilarious. My focal point will be an umbrella holder in the exact shape of the umbrella. It'll open like a briefcase.

I watched this guy on the 3 train and contemplated his thought process and how long it took him to create his plastic bag's new handle. I asked him why he took the time to use the bag and not just carry the box. He looked at me like I was crazy. "I don't know!" he said, "the cashier did it!"