A Presence in Motion

A Presence in Motion – Manuscript of Pedagogy

Inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction, this project begins with a simple proposition: what if gathering, rather than conquering, becomes a way of knowing? Le Guin reimagines human evolution through the carrier bag, the bag, basket, or net, as one of humanity’s first technologies. A container gathers, holds, carries, and brings things home. I take the carrier bag as both a metaphor and a pedagogical method. In this project, I want to become the carrier bag: to walk, to gather, to carry, to notice, and to tell stories.The project proposes walking as a pedagogical practice. I walk without necessarily knowing what I will find. I collect fragments of everyday life: objects, materials, words, marks, traces, encounters, and small treasures. The walk becomes an open-ended curriculum, where learning begins with what the environment offers.I will begin A Presence in Motion as a personal excavation. I will walk, gather, and collect discarded objects from my everyday surroundings. Each object will become a trace of a particular place, time, material, and encounter. This first excavation will become my manuscript, a record of walking, gathering, transforming, and storytelling. It will also become the foundation for developing the pedagogical practice and, eventually, the larger network where others can create their own carrier bags and contribute their found and re-imagined objects.

Images of Found Objects: Traces of Everyday Life Gathered Through Walking

A Walk to Mode – Saison 2007

Once upon a time, there was a passionate girl named Anna, who walked to Mode with confidence and enthusiasm, her heart filled with dreams. She aspired to become both a clothes designer and a model, fueled by her experience in cutting fabrics and designing garments. Anna’s imagination served as the seed of her creativity, blossoming as she drew and collaged vibrant lines and patterns on paper, creating a window into her inner imaginative world. This enchanting story unfolded as I found an image in a box of old kids’ art and crafts on the street, igniting a kid’s inspiration and beauty found in creativity.

A Prince Photoshoot

It was 2 o’clock in the afternoon when Prince Jarry was ready for his photoshoot to promote his debut as a brand designer. He meticulously drew the lines and colors of his long sleeve shirt, pairing it with a designer long clock bracelet and vibrant yellow retro pants, all accented by sleek black long boots. Positioned against a crisp white backdrop, the cameras were primed to capture different angles of his stylish ensemble. Although he appeared young, his creativity was remarkably mature. As fall approached, he contemplated accessorizing with a green scarf adorned with white circles but ultimately decided to showcase his bracelet watch instead, believing that time is money. I stumbled upon some paper art on the street, remnants of kids’ crafts, and it struck me how a family might have discarded the most precious expressions of creativity, representing a bright future for this boy that his parents seemed to overlook.

Magic – The Gathering ARCHENEMY

I was walking to work early in the morning, around 8:30 AM, when I noticed a peculiar man in the street. He was clutching fake jewelry and accessories, desperately trying to connect a chain he’d envisioned himself designing. The man was talking nonsense, his gaze fixated elsewhere. Nearby, a mess of magic cards lay scattered, some on the bench, others tucked among the plants, and a few littered on the ground, as if he’d erupted in frustration, sending them flying. Curious, I began gathering the cards, reading their intriguing titles: “Fear My Authority,” “No Secret is Hidden from Me,” “Reality is Mine to Control,” “Running is Useless,” “I Will Savor Your Agony,” and “You Exist Only to Amuse.” The words resonated deeply within me, as if a message from a hidden world was seeking to be revealed. Just then, a man clad in an all-yellow outfit, from his shoes to his hat, strolled by, momentarily pulling my attention away and immersing me deeper into the strange realm of the eccentric man’s cards.

A Second Chance Letter

I found this letter during a moment of turmoil, reflecting on past relationships and wrestling with feelings of right and wrong. This little letter changed my perspective, prompting me to consider that a brave person acknowledges their failures and recognizes the need to apologize to themselves and those they’ve hurt. My thoughts then shifted to why I, rather than the intended recipient, found this letter, someone who truly deserves that apology. I felt compelled to return the letter to its original place on the street, hoping the right person would find it and take it back to their wife and children.

French text

Je viens vers toi pour m’excuser du mal que j’ai pu causer au père de mes enfants.J’ai été egoiste dans certaine chose, car je voulais suivre les gens. J’aimerais qu’il me pardonne, dehors il ya rien. Renouveler nos souhait de mariage, avoir notre condo, voiture et voyager avec nos enfants est mon seul souhait.

être heureux

Amen

Translated to English

I come to you to apologize for the pain/harm I may have caused to the father of my children.I was selfish in certain things, because I wanted to follow other people. I would like him to forgive me, out there, there is nothing. Renewing our wedding vows, having our condo, car, and traveling with our children is my only wish.

To be happy

Amen

Maneuver

In a whimsical training exercise, a paper diagram illustrated the intricate lines for maneuvering a car into a parking space. As if guided by a clever bird that acted as the leading instructor, the diagram showed the journey from a stationary position to action, angling the car precisely at 45 degrees. Meanwhile, a curious horse stood nearby, keenly observing the parking technique to ensure everything was executed properly. However, just as the parking attempt began, a swirling wind whisked away the horse’s focus, leading to an unexpected parallel crash from behind, disrupting the art of parking entirely.

Valentine’s Note

The words were torn, and I imagined the invisible stories hidden in my mind as I picked up this ripped paper from the grass early in the morning. I connected the paper’s fragments to my thoughts and emotions, and it inspired a heartfelt note that blossomed into a charming message for Valentine’s Day.

French text

C’est le plus beau Saint-Valentin que j’ai passé avec toi.Les sentiments qui ressortent dans tes mots sont si doux, parfaitement cute Tu es tellement belle, tu es une déesse.Les mots ne sont pas assez forts pour te dire à quel point je t’aime.

Translated to English

This is the best Valentine’s Day that I have spent with you. The feelings coming through in your words are so sweet, perfectly cute. You are so beautiful, you are a goddess. Words are not strong enough to tell you how much I love you.

Sexy Note

The words were torn, but my vivid imagination allowed me to weave the invisible stories hidden in my mind as I picked up this ripped paper from street. Inspired by my creativity, I connected the paper’s fragments to my thoughts , transforming them into a lovely note that unfolded into a letter for a date night.

French text

Ton amour me donne de la douceur, ta présence est tellement sexy, j’adore quand tu ôtes tes culottes et qu’on s’embrasse aux lumières tamisées, j’ai le goût de toi et même si on peut être bien habillés, je te préfère ainsi.

Translated to English

“Your love gives me sweetness, your presence is so sexy, I love when you take off your underwear and we kiss under the soft lights, I crave you, and even though we can be dressed up nicely, I prefer you like this.”

Envisioning

An alien hung in the sky above, and nearby, a leopard was projecting his present into the future. The Leopard stood there, wondering: what if I am without a head? What if I have two separate bodies instead of just one body and a head de-attached? If the head is separate, I can go look for food or make a kill to eat without any other animals noticing my big body. I can sneak out into the night using only my nose, eyes, and mouth, drifting quietly through the dark. Once it finds what it needs, the head will come back to me to inform me of a possibility of benefits to my belly.Do you think that the strange effect of the alien taking over the Leopard’s mind, or have the kid who sketched this drawing is truly becoming an alien in their own envisioning?

Enlarged Skating feet

I envision a dog dreaming of having a leg that transforms into a skating foot, allowing him to glide effortlessly across winter’s icy landscape instead of trudging through the cold with bare paws. The child who brings this whimsical idea to life through sketching possesses a vivid imagination and a deep sense of empathy for animals, who must endure the chill without the luxury of cozy footwear that humans enjoy year-round.

Don Juan

I found a beer lid beneath the bench in the park while sketching and reminiscing about my lover, who emerges from the sea, as if he were a pirate, adorned with diamonds on his skin like intricate tattoos, a Casanova of treasure, boasting a mustache that symbolizes his masculinity and pride. This inspired me to write a story: once upon a time, there was a pirate who sought treasure wherever he ventured. He was kind, yet feigned blindness to portray himself as a fierce warrior, unwavering in the pursuit of his dreams. He wandered and sailed with an intense passion for self-discovery and ego, his name is Don Juan.

A History on Paper

As the weather shifts and the leaves fall, they scatter across the ground, whispering tales of the seasons past. I picked up a leaf, its texture reminiscent of stone, with imprints resembling ancient fossils. The color pigmentation tells stories from eras long gone, preserving the essence of intense change. In my hands, it felt like a piece of artifact, holding the presence of countless timelines that have intertwined in nature’s grand tapestry.

A Wallnut Cocun

A skull without a brain, detached from its nutrients, an empty hollow transforming into a home for insects seeking warmth and shelter on cold nights, forming a protective membrane. As I walked, I spotted this shape and picked it up, imagining that a squirrel had touched it before me, feasting on its contents and casting it aside, unaware that it had unwittingly created a refuge for countless homeless insects, all searching for a free haven, especially during this economic crisis that invades every corner of life.

The Tree of Life

A coin that embodies the essence of our existence, symbolizing the intertwining of life and being. I picked up this rounded piece of jewelry, imagining it had fallen from an ancient necklace, one that could no longer contain such a treasure. I gazed at it, then turned my eyes to the real tree on the street, drawing a comparison between the two: one crafted from wood, the other forged from metal. The sparkling diamond within the coin represented the true fruits of the tree, while its branches reached toward the sky, open and welcoming. In contrast, this metallic form’s branches were encased in a circular shape, reminiscent of a halo, an aura orbiting the tree, as its energy flowed seamlessly upward and downward, embodying the modular motion of life.

Faceless Face

A face that smiles with sarcasm, a mocking stone, a disease that rocks out the skin, and a monster in behavior, a cricket of stubbornness, and a shape of an egg. An ancient alien that found no form but a rock to exist in, taking the shape of a face without a face, a man without a man, and a being with no being. The essence of existence tangled in confusion, blurring the lines between reality and imagination, where each layer reveals another enigma, a mirror reflecting the absurdity of life itself.

M

M is for Mother, a divine presence woven into the fabric of our lives, a gentle tide of emotions that shapes our world, draped in grace and beauty, nurturing each moment with love, and an artist of countless creations that bloom in the hearts of those she touches.

A Chinese Tourist

A Chinese tourist accidentally dropped a symbol of fertility and production, a poignant reminder of the laws governing childbirth, how society once encouraged multiple children but now grapples with the choice of having none. In this shrinking world, the old ways seem to prevail while new birth wither, overshadowed by the relentless pursuit of power and wealth, as humanity creates machines instead of cherishing flesh and blood. Fortuitously, this realization sparked within me a desire to create, igniting my inspiration to birth art in the park.

Spanish Palabras

This note brought memories of the past… When we first met at the Varadero dancing park, I saw your smile, you took my breath away from the first encounter, and my heart soared. Our gazing eyes met the soul, it felt like a dream lying on the sand at the beach, and your heart touched mine.

“Un hombre muy guapo y muy encantador.”

“A very handsome and very charming man.”