Unisex accessories - Shoulder bag created within the framework of the In Circulation: Buliash Todaeva project

The In Circulation exhibition series was launched by the Contemporary Design Department of the Museum of Applied Arts. During the period of the reconstruction of the museum’s main building on Üllői Road, it is especially important that we keep the pieces of the collection in circulation. In the framework of our series entitled In Circulation, we have invited contemporary designers, once they have become acquainted with the museum’s internationally unparalleled rich collection, to select an object or ensemble of objects that inspires their own work, and to create something of their own design that reflects upon it. The design object(s) born from the inspiration of the museum’s collection will also become a part of the collection, which will also provide the opportunity for further relations and exhibitions.

Upon our invitation, Buliash Todaeva selected three objects from the collections of the Museum of Applied Arts: a small, red patent leather purse that was made circa 1970, as well as an armchair and table from the five-piece Centaur furniture set produced in 1985 by István Szilvássy.

The larger format bag followed the form of the red patent leather handbag, and it was produced with 100% recycled plastic. At the same time, the pattern for the bags draws upon the “cow” model of the Centaur furniture. An inner divider was also placed into the larger box bag, which makes organising the contents of the bag much easier. The wavy line of the handles on the bags formally echoes the cylindrical cushion design of Istvan Szilvassy's Centaur armchairs. Every side of the larger bags is made from plastic sheets manufactured according to the procedure described above and can be disassembled, while the functional part of the smaller bags is made from Kraft-Tex produced from cellulose fibres, and their straps from polyester. The inscription “SYSTEM CHANGE NOT CLIMATE CHANGE” is found repeatedly on the straps of the bags.