TRUNK PDX

Annie Hartman

2009-07-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Annie Hartman

From: Seattle WA. Lived in Portland for almost 5 years

TRUNK: Hand made backpack by her friend, Cool Breeze

LARGE VIEW

Inside TRUNK:

- New shoes made by “Keep”

- U-Lock for bike

- Wallet

- Phone

- Hanky

- Lip-gloss “Pink Lemonade” flavor (No bees wax)

- Bike Light

- Slingshot

- Broken sunglasses

- Stripped scrunchy

- Photo strip of her and a friend from Ace hotel

- Movie stub from “Up 3D”

- 3D glasses

- Clothespin

- Converter for headphones to guitar

- Chapstick by “Avalon Organics”

- Vegan Moccasins

- Sales tag for scrunchy from American Apparel

- Give away shirt from American Apparel

- Broken Camera stored in dirty yellow sock

- Portland Beavers baseball ticket from June 25^th

- About12 broken spelt pretzels loose in bag

- Duracell Pro Cell Batteries

- Sharpie

- Prescription glasses (near sighted)

- Glasses Case

- Receipt for giveaways from American Apparel

- Black American Apparel hoodie

- 2 drawings

- .36 cents

D: So where are you coming from today?

A: Work

DP: Since you’ve been off, what have you done up until this point?

AH: Went over to my friend Hopeless’ house and picked up my new shoes

DP: Where do you work?

AH: American Apparel, I’m a back stock manager

DP: What does that entail?

AH: That means that I’m in charge of all inventory that comes in and out of the store and adjusting all of our numbers after people steel from us.

DP: Do you like the job?

AH: Yeah

DP: How far away do you live from your work?

AH: Um… 28 blocks

DP: Do you always bike to work?

AH: Yeah… no, I went through a walking phase a couple months ago.

DP: Do you always bring a bag with you?

AH: Yeah

DP: Do you find it to be a convenient way of transporting things?

AH: I would actually like Panniers eventually so that I could have even more stuff. I’d like to have the weight of my back so I wont get all sweaty and stuff.

DP: Do you prefer the backpack to the shoulder bag?

AH: I like the backpack the best. I do have a huge over the shoulder bag that I’ve had forever but no matter what, with boobs, and ya know… I have HUGE breast. It’s just really hard to pinch the latch shut over your boobs, which is annoying and then eventually it slips and it’s in between them… so I went for the backpack. Also that way it’s kind of like an equal weight to my boobs… on my back.

DP: What about a basket?

AH: I’d be down, but not on this bike.

DP: Do you have another bike?

AH: Yeah, I have two other bikes.

DP: What kinds?

AH: I have a Gianni Motta track bike, a Fuji racing bike, and this Bertoni road bike.

DP: Do you have a favorite?

AH: Yeah, the Gianni Motta, but I don’t ride it much because I crashed it really bad.

DP: When?

AH: Last year at the Velodrome.

DP: Are you racing this year?

AH: Not track but I am doing cyclo-cross.

DP: Is this bag big enough for all the things you need to bring with you, day to day?

AH: Yeah.

DP: What’s the most important thing in your bag?

AH: I’d say my sweatshirt.

DP: You pointed out that your moccasins were vegan, are you vegan?

AH: Yeah, since I was 17

DP: Do you find it easy to be vegan and live in Portland?

AH: Yeah, it’s like a Mecca.

DP: How do you feel about bag culture in Portland?

AH: It is pretty interesting what people do here, I mean the bags are so bright here and everyone sort of collages and personalizes them.

DP: Do you take a bag out with you when you’re not going or coming from work?

AH: Yeah, I have a smaller bag. I usually have it inside my backpack, but not tonight.

DP: Do you think that because bags are socially acceptable, pretty much anywhere you go, that people are more apt to leave their cars at home and find other ways around?

AH: I guess, yeah, it already seams like such a normal thing, here so many people commute by bike, and everyone’s got their bag.

DP: So I’ve got to ask what the slingshot is all about?

AH: Well I usually collect rocks but my bags cleaned out now because I just went on a trip, normally there’s like a million rocks in my bag so I can go shoot them off the dock into the river.

DP: How about random pretzels are those just snacks that got away?

AH: I still eat them, but the other day I had some bubble bath in there and when I ate one earlier it tasted like the bubble bath. So I think I’m done eating them.

DP: The adapter in your bag makes me think you play guitar, is that right?

AH: Yeah, I’m just learning.

DP: What kind of music do you like to play?

AH: Country songs, old country songs. I guess my favorite right now is one by Johnny Cash called “There You Go”

DP: What about between Willy Nelson and Johnny Cash?

AH: Johnny Cash, but I love all the songs Willy Nelson’s written, I got to say “Hello Wall” is one of my favorite songs but when Faron Young sings it

Loren Wheeler

2009-06-28T12:11:00.000-07:00

Loren Wheeler

From: Eugene, OR

Time in Portland: 3.5 yrs

TRUNK: Vaude Pannier

LARGE IMAGE

In TRUNK:

- Helmet

- Almonds

- Empty Plastic bag with crumbs inside

- Bike multi tool

- Phone numbers

- Booklist

- Empty Toblerone package

- Napkin

- Goodwill receipt

- 3 bungee chords

- Butter knife

- T-Shirt

- Handkerchief

- Unsent letters

- Received letters

- Journal

- Canvas tote bag

- Toothbrush and paste

- Pen

-Klean Canteen

- 20 cents

- Wallet

- Key to bike lock

- Phone

- Edward Abbey, “Desert Solitaire”

DP: Are you from Portland?

LW: I’m from Eugene but I’ve lived in Portland for the past three and a half years.

DP: What are you doing up here?

LW: I went to massage school originally, I do massage. I’m also a preschool teacher.

DP: At a school in town?

LW: Yeah, Portland Preschool… It’s a pretty original title… I’m going back to finish my bachelors in the fall.

DP: Do you have a school that you’re hoping to do that at?

LW: University or Portland

DP: What are you going to be studying there?

LW: Music, I’m a singer

DP: Like a choral singer or do you sing for a band?

LW: I do improvised, solo, eclectic, genre-busting stuff.

DP: Do you perform around town?

LW: So far it’s been Last Thursday that I like to perform at. My most recent thing that I like to do is sing Dr. Seuss books, for example, “All the Places You’ll Go”. Most people have read Dr. Seuss books thought their whole childhood. So they see the book that I‘m reading/singing and there’s this instant connection with their childhood and it totally re-enlivens this book that was probably a huge part of their life for a significant period of time.

DP: Do you put music with it?

LW: Yeah, So I’ve got this machine that allows me to loop my voice and layer it. So I do my own bass and beats, harmonies, and everything, and then I sing the words of the book over that.

DP: So other then music is there anything else you might be studying?

LW: Yeah, I’d also like to talk to whales, so I figure I could probably learn something about that in school.

DP: So about your bag, is there anything that you would never leave home without?

LW: Yeah, my wallet and cell phone are big and my toothbrush as well.

DP: Do you stay away from home a lot?

LW: Yeah, when I’m working a lot I’ll be out from 9 ‘til 7 sometimes, working 2 jobs. I bring my toothbrush because I’m a massage therapist and people like good hygiene.

DP: Where do you do massage therapy?

LW: In NW at a spa called Dragon Tree.

DP: Do you live in NW then?

LW: I live in NE so I bike across the river a lot.

DP: Is that a daily thing you do? Or do you also bus or take a car?

LW: I do have a car; I don’t use it very often though. It runs on vegetable oil, which is nice for when I do drive. Mostly I’m trucking on my bike; I end up riding a lot of miles every day, like 8 or 10. I’m always on my bike, rain or shine, and the waterproof bag is what I use.

DP: Do you have another bag as well or is this just the one?

LW: Yeah this is just the one; my girlfriend has the other that makes up the pair- we split it up. I like to use a bag within my bag to separate things though.

DP: What about the size of the bag, is it enough space for you?

LW: Yeah, if anything it’s too much. I’d say it is rare that I ever fill it up. What I would really like is to have a basket on the front of my bike and have a little waterproof bag there, cause I usually just have a few things, maybe a little snack, you know.

DP: Does having the Panniers on the side of the bike throw your balance at all?

LW: No it doesn’t throw your balance off as much as you would think. Only if you put like a hundred pounds on one side would you really notice.

DP: It must be nice not riding with stuff on your back.

LW: Yeah, that’s what it is for me. I’m a message therapist and I’m pretty aware of my body and also singing is about body awareness for me, so any time I have a bag on my back or shoulder, one or both for an extended period of time, I notice how it effects me.

DP: So when you go out at night then and your not working, would you be taking this bag with you?

LW: I would ideally go light, like pockets or maybe a light shoulder bag… Small, like that big [motions with hands to a size of about 4x8 inches]. It’s ideal, especially with summer night riding and you want to be free and light. I’m a lightweight backpacker also, so when I go out I carry a pack that’s 10 pounds or less, which is super ultra light for how most people backpack. I tend to focus that same kind of energy when I’m going around the city. Going light and minimal, just reminding myself that I can depend on less than I think is possible.

DP: How do you feel about bag culture in Portland?

LW: I’ve noticed that bag culture is one of aesthetic and style, which is not something I tend to subscribe to. In particular what I look for in a bag is ease of use, efficiency, and waterproofing. I don’t tend to do the whole shoulder bag because those tend to be tailored to a particular aesthetic, which is not too important to me.

DP: So do you think people wear bags unnecessarily?

LW: I just see people with ridiculously huge bags on, ya know, fixie bikes. It’s like, you can’t possibly need everything that’s in the bag and it’s obviously a burden to carry so much stuff. But I do see the bag culture as making it accessible and stylish to be on your bike, which is awesome. So anything that does that I would say is positive, I would just take it a step further and say forget the aesthetic and the style and use a bag because it’s useful, but what ever gets people on their bikes is awesome.

To check out Loren’s music visit him at…

www.myspace.com/lorenwheeler.com

Kim Brewer

2009-05-28T12:51:00.000-07:00

Kim Brewer

From: Arizona Been in Portland for 9 months

TRUNKS: O’Neil and Roxy handbags

In Bag:

Bag One:

- Samsung phone (home)

- iphone (work)

- Olympus point and shoot digital camera

- Lexus 250 car keys (she didn’t drive today)

- 3 lists of contacts (for potential members a book club website she is creating)

- Notes from a meeting

- 2 Tri-met tickets

- Receipt from Best Buy (Indiana Jones movies)

- Receipt for Willamette jet boat

- Bank Receipts

- Eye drop prescription from doctor

- Receipt from Oregon zoo

- Receipt from Urban Fauna

- Makeshift wallet (purchased in Europe)

- Passport

- Glasses (nearsighted)

- Small Knife

- Sunscreen spf 30

- Carmex

- One-dollar coin

- .45 cents in change

- One-dollar bill

- 2 bobby pins

Bag Two:

- Portland Trail Blazers blow up stick (from game against Utah Jazz)

- MacBook

- Computer charger

- Chapstick

- Sweet Talk lip balm

- List from Winery

- Old envelops for checks from clients

- Wine regions map of Germany

- Receipt from doctor

- 2 Tri-met ticket stubs

- Receipt from Vineyard

- Receipt from “Living Room Theater”

- Bank receipts

- Receipts from Cha Cha Cha

- Opened and unread letter from bank

- One bobby pin

- Receipt from Plaza Teriyaki

- Receipt from Wall Greens

DP: So you’ve been in Portland for nine months, do you like it here?

KB: Yeah, it’s very pretty.

DP: What part of town are you living in?

KB: I live downtown on the waterfront between the Steel and Broadway bridges.

DP: Do you like it there?

KB: Yeah, it’s beautiful. It’s literally on the river and I have a deck I can get out on.

DP: Coming from Arizona, the weather most be a bit different for you, do you like it?

KB: Not when it rains a lot and it’s freezing… But yeah, I like it now.

DP: Would you say you like it more or less then Arizona?

KB: It kind of depends, I like Arizona when it’s not smoldering hot but I like it in Portland more in the summer, so I don’t know.

DP: Did you move to Portland because you already had a job here or did you just come here randomly?

KB: Actually my whole company moved here.

DP: What kind of work do you do?

KB: I do web design, mainly web applications.

DP: What kind of businesses would you say you mainly design for?

KB: All kinds, but they’re mainly start up companies.

DP: Being so close to your work, would you say that you find it convenient to transport everything you need in your bag/bags?

KB: Yeah, sometimes I just bring my laptop but today I felt like having a bag, so I did.

DP: But you have two bags?

KB: Well that way I can have regular things in one bag and my laptop secluded in the other.

DP: Do you use your laptop a lot for work?

KB: Yeah, I can work from almost anywhere.

DP: Is it easy for you to get around?

KB: Yeah, I like taking the max.

DP: Where do you take the max?

KB: I take it around downtown a lot and to the airport, but a still do drive a bit.

DP: Do you go to the Airport to pick up clients or is it for travel?

KB: I travel a lot.

DP: Where was the last place you went?

KB: To Europe.”

DP: Did you have a favorite place that you went?

KB: Definitely Greece, It’s really pretty, everyone’s really nice, and they love Americans.

DP: Was there a part of the trip that you didn’t like?

KB: Probably Spain, I had my wallet stolen there.

DP: After looking over the contents of your bag, would you consider yourself fairly organized?

KB: Hahaha uhh, no.

DP: It seems that you don’t have the things necessary for being gone a long time from your home. Would you say you use your bag as a way of just taking the bare necessities from home, knowing that you are going to be back soon?

KB: “Yeah, definitely. It was different when I was in a place like Europe. I’m so close to home I don’t really need to bring a lot of stuff.

DP: If you could only have one item from all the things we found in your bags today what would it be?

KB: Uhh, well this may sound really weird but my phone.

DP: Which one?

KB: My iphone, it’s kind of a safety thing.

Travis Meyer

2009-05-28T10:15:00.000-07:00

Travis Meyer

From: Minneapolis Minnesota. Been in Portland one year.

TRUNK: Chrome Backpack Size: Ivan

LARGE IMAGE

In Bag:

- Weed Grinder

- Zig Zag rolling papers

- JoB rolling papers

- Water bottle

- Half smoked cigarette

- Bike light for cab

- Tire levers

- Pilot G2 .07 pen

- Willamette Week Paper

- Wireless MAC computer mouse

- Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick”

- Mole Skin journal

- Wallet

- Modified Dockers cotton derby hat

- Bike lock

- Top filters

- Portland map

- Receipt from Tiny’s coffee

- Other random receipts

- Old deli meat zip lock bag (for safely transporting burritos)

- Empty pack of American Spirit cigarettes (Blue)

- Half full pack of American Spirit cigarettes (Blue)

- 14 dollars

- Headphones

- Empty Cliff Bar rapper

DP: How long have you been doing pedi cab?

TM: Three weeks.

DP: Do you like it?

TM: Yeah, best job I’ve ever had.

DP: Have you been meeting a lot of people?

TM: In the past three weeks I have met about 2000 people. I’ve seen a shanking, 7 fist fights and I do beer pick-ups every other hour. Just the other night, this dude crashed in a Denali, he totaled his car and another car. You meet a lot of douche bags, especially posting out in front of a place like “Dirrty”, in China Town, on a Saturday night.

DP: How often do you work?

TM: As often as I need to make money.

DP: Do you ride another bike other then this?

TM: Yeah, I have a Doss Chromoly frame.

DP: Do you ever ride the pedi cab around just for fun when you’re not working?

TM: No, I just ride it to make money.

DP: So if you had to specify your TRUNK between either the Chrome backpack or the Pedi cab’s actual trunk, which one would you choose?

TM: The chrome bag definitely, it’s my life.

DP: You had a fare amount of receipts in your bag, would you say you clean it out much, if ever?

TM: Rarely, I didn’t know those receipts were in there.

DP: You’ve been in Portland a year, do you like it?

TM: Portland is definitely where it’s at, it’s a good stopover place. I’ll be here for two or three years to finish my BA and then move on to some other place or country.

DP: Where are you going to school?

TM: PSU

DP: Do you like it there?

TM: I haven’t been yet, I start this fall.

DP: Is your journal for just writing down information or do you write more seriously?

TM: Actually yeah, right now I’m writing a novel. When I leave Portland I’m hoping to write a novel that will encompass [Portland] in some way.

DP: What are you writing about right now?

TM: Right now it’s about Minneapolis, where I was living before.

DP: “How long were you in Minneapolis?

TM: eight years.

DP: Did you like living there?

TM: Yeah, it was alright.”

DP: Were you living with your family or something?

TM: Um, my family lives there, but I lived with my ex for six years. She left me for an Australian shoegaze musician, she went on vacation and she never came back.

DP: So your Pedi Cab is a really interesting take on the premise of TRUNK, with its actual trunk space. If you could only bring one thing with you everyday when you work, what would it be?

TM: water bottle and cigarettes.

DP: Just the bare necessities, I see.

TM: Yeah.”

DP: So is this your Pedi Cab or do you work for a business?

TM: No, it’s my friend’s [cab]. He runs a company and just has one Pedi Cab. I park it in front of my house, take it out whenever I want, and give a percentage of my earnings to him.

DP: Does he ever take it out?

TM: he actually doesn’t live in the city right now.

DP: Hahaha, this friend of yours doesn’t really exist, does he?

TM: Haha, He’s too real.

DP: You mentioned something about train hopping when we were taking shots of your TRUNK, when was that?

TM: I did that last June, with that Chrome bag, that was all I had on me.

DP: I know those bags pack a lot, but was that enough space?

TM: Yeah, they fit a lot. I strapped a canvas tarp on the top of it. It was really great, I could just strap it on to the top of the shoulder straps with some rope and just lasso it on.

DP: When you’re not doing Pedi Cab and you’re just out with your bag, is there anything that you would always have with you that you don’t have today?

TM: Um, my computer and burritos.

DP: You’re just a man of essentials, do you have a favorite burrito in town?

TM: Yeah, Santeria, on Burnside and Broadway, it’s attached to Mary’s Strip club right next to Tug Boat.

DP: Do you find this bag to be convenient with your life style?

TM: Oh yeah, I don’t know how people go out without backpacks, you know? You can spot them and you’re like, “That dude drives a car”. I have friends that live in Woodstock, and so it’s like, I’m going to Woodstock and I’m packing up my life, you know? I have no idea what’s going to happen to me, I could end up sleeping somewhere and not being back for days.

Anthony ?

2009-05-24T09:48:00.000-07:00

Anthony ?

From: Nebraska

TRUNK: Outdoor Products bag

LARGE IMAGE

Contents:

- Leopard print Underwear

- 2 Slayer patches

- Pictures from sister’s wedding (one year ago)

- 8 skate wheels. Sizes: 64 & 60

- One empty ring pack (for16 oz cans)

- Court information papers for criminal mischief

- Piece of paper with a phone number (“She bought me dinner and a hotel room once.”)

- 1 lens for glasses (not sure for what stigmatism)

- Stash Tea bag (English Breakfast)

- Release agreement from jail

- Papers from the Oregon Department of Revenue

- 2 travel size mouth wash bottles (one empty, one full)

- Letter

- Toothpaste

- Toothbrush

- Women’s earrings

- 10 cents

- A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

- 2 bobby pins

- Eyelash curler

- Airline ticket stub, Phoenix to Portland, issued under a female’s name

- Eyeglass case

- Sleeping bag

- PBR 40

- Lotion

- Gloves

- Comb

DP: Where do you live?

A?: Everywhere.

DP: Are you Homeless?

A?: No, not homeless, just houseless.

DP: Well where did you come from to get here today?

A?: Ummm I think I was somewhere in Hillsboro last night, we took the max in today and skated over here.” (Colonel Summers Park, SE Portland)

DP: What are you doing here today?

A?: We came here to meet up with some friends and skate… They’re not hear but we saw that girl, Gina, earlier so I guess it was worth coming down. (motions towards nearby woman)

DP: Hahaha ok, is that what the extra wheels are for? Are you getting a new deck?

A?: Nope, just have extras in case.

DP: You said you’re from Nebraska originally, is that where you came from last?

A?: No, I was up in Alaska, throwing fish on a fish boat and cooking in a restaurant on the docks.

DP: Do you have a job here?

A?: Nope, I’ve been trying but I can’t get work.

DP: What kind of work are you looking for?

A?: I’d like to work constructing but no one is hiring. I want to try and save up money to go to PCC and become a certified EMT. I Figure people will always be getting hurt and dying so it would be a pretty solid line of work.

DP: So, as well as seeing an eyelash curler and girl’s earrings in your bag, we also found a plane ticket stub for a flight with [a female] passenger name. Did you two travel together?

A?: Hahaha uhhh no, I think this is her bag. We used to be together but some crazy shit went down with me and this stripper and she flipped. So, I think I just grabbed her bag when I left.

DP: Did you have another bag that you left?

A?: Yeah, it was a larger bag that I could put more things in but it got stolen.

DP: What about the court papers, did you get in trouble recently?

A?: Yeah, I got arrested for busting up windows when I was black out drunk.

DP: Did, someone catch you doing it?

A?: Yeah, I busted the window of a tent repair store on SE Clinton St. Some neighbors followed me and waited with me ‘til the cops came. I was really drunk so I just sat there and waited.

DP: Since you’re houseless, how important to you is your bag?

A?: My bag is my mobile home but it’s funny because some people have a stigma that you’re just homeless and there’s nothing else. That you’re just drunk, dirty and you suck.

DP: Lastly if you could have one thing from your bag with you at all times, what would it be?

A?: Definitely my Leopard print undies… The girls like them, they laugh and it’s alright. Then they say, “get in this”.

Beth Myrick

2009-05-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we met up with our friend Beth Myrick for a surprise Trunk session. We opted to test our methods and interview approach out on a friend to get an idea of how things will go. Beth made a great candidate for our first interview because she is a devote trunk user and the range of items within were extensive and surprising. We uncovered some interesting things that revealed aspects of Beth’s life that she and I had never spoken much about.

The only flaw in using a friend for the first interview was that I neglected to ask some general information questions that will be necessary with someone who I do not already know. I will probably do a follow up interview with her so that most of the questions and answers are standardized for all interviews. Anyway, here are the results so take a look at what turned up and let me know what you think.

Beth Myrick beth_myrick@yahoo.com

TRUNK: Medium Ortlieb waterproof messengerbag

Large Image

Contents:

- Re-used aquafina water bottle (3^rd use)

- Empty plastic bag

- Old spice deodorant

- 1 pair of socks

- Scarf

- White handkerchief

- Vitamins

- 3 tampons

- 3 Band-Aids

- 4 assorted condoms

- Empty ID holder

- 2 combs

- Size 15 and a 9/16 wrench

- “Hella graffiti markers” (3 to be exact)

- 3 books

-“My Horizontal Life”

-“Why Do Men Fall Asleep After Sex”

-“Why Do Men Have Nipples”

- 2 old paycheck stubs

- 6 empty ring packs

- 2 hand written zeens (3 copies of each)

- 1 mini bag to put shit in

- 2 hand sanitizers

- Toothbrush

- Package of hair bands

- Bic pen

- An Einstein notebook

- Mechanical pencil

- A pocket notebook

- Portland State Vikings business card for “Brian Parrott”

- OMSI store business card

- Assortment of labels

- Next weeks work schedule

- 2 spare bike tubes

- Pair of glasses (farsighted)

- Sunglasses

- Bell Multi tool

- 2 tire levers

- Spare key to bike lock

- Sales receipt for OMSI store

-Ant Farm

-Sun print kit

- Sales receipt from Tiny’s Coffee for $ 3.75

- 3 spare sets of gauged plugs, size ¾ “

- Ipod mini 2gig

- note of feedback from an art show

- Front bike light

- 3 Olympia tall boys

- Empty OMSI store bag

- Pair of pants

- Wallet

- .98 cents in change

- Slap bracelet cozy for beer

- Cell phone

- Work keys

DP: “Beth, first off: WOW, so much shit in your bag, what’s up?”

BM: “(Laughter)… It’s giant I can’t help it.”

DP: “OK well if you could only have one thing what would it be?”

BM: “Hmmm Ipod definitely.”

DP: “What would you be listening to?”

BM: “Uh, somethin’ by Biggie.”

DP: “What’s this feed back from an art show note? When and what was the show?”

BM: “The show was at ‘Last Thursday’ on Alberta Street, I painted records.”

DP: “Three hella graffiti markers, you been tagging?”

BM: “Nooooo, hahahahaha.”

DP: “Is this your first bag?”

BM: “No, like fifth I think.”

DP: “Out of all the bags you have had what one has been the best?”

BM: “This one, its got great back pads for all the shit I have in it.”

DP: “What is the biggest thing you have ever carried?”

BM: “ My friend Sarah, we rode a block.”

DP: “What’s your favorite place to go with your bag?”

BM: “Probably down to the water front or out to the bluffs.”

DP: “What’s up with all the sexually charged reading material?”

BM: “I’m into science and the titles of the books are kind of miss leading, there’s a lot of interesting facts in them. I guess you could also write down something about me teaching sex-Ed for five and a half years.”

DP: “So, the hand written zines, are they yours?”

BM: “Yeah, I wrote them for the Cascade Aids Project, that’s where I taught sex-Ed. “Dry Humping Saves Lives”, is all about general sex-Ed, HIV awareness, gender communication, masturbation, and sexual assault.”

Conception/ unintentional mission statement

2009-05-10T22:06:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with some really amazing conversations about how to get TRUNK PDX off the ground. TRUNK is a concept that has been evolving in my mind for some time now. Our lives are fast paced and as we rush through our days we often lose sight of ourselves and of others. This project focuses on people who opt for a form of transportation other then cars, and lose the ability to bring whatever, wherever in their trunk, glove box, or backseat. Instead, they have co-opted the backpack and made it their portable trunk. The contents of a trunk say a lot about a person and their daily life.

Our goal is to photograph people, their bags, and the contents within as a way of exploring how they acclimate to their ever moving, ever changing lives. Entering into these places of privacy help us better understand our friends, perfect strangers, and a trend that has emerged from necessity. So, check out the blog from time to time and see what turns up as we invade the more private side of local commuters.