I’ve never been to a home for people with autism. I’ve never been to a drawing therapy session program either. I’ve never peeked into bags of strangers. Homes for autistic people are far away from the city. For example, the one in Miskolc, is up on Vargahegy. Intruding other people’s private sphere is simply rude and bags definitely are parts of the intimate space.
My head is full of thoughts like these. And then all of a sudden, a world of complexities shows up. A world of strange rules, personal items, memories, everyday objects. The so called everyday life and its accessories. Forms, curlicues, straight lines in a thousand colors make this world alive. But really, where am I? What is this world? Suddenly I feel as an insider. I was let in somewhere I had not been before.
The bags collection born through the collaboration of Müskinn and Autistic Art Foundation reveals the imagery of the members of the drawing group at the Home for Autistic People in Miskolc. The bags are plain and simple pieces on the outside, while the special world can be met inside. Just like a home for autistic people and the artistic world of its residents.
The design of the bags displays those specific patterns that the designers learnt and took over from the drawing techniques of the youngsters with autism. The shapes of the objects were designed on the first try, just like the drawings of the youngsters are made with no caution or mistakes. The only thing present is the act of drawing that leaves its trace on the paper irreversibly and permanently. The decorations on the outside of the bags – which are all of a similar character but still different on each bag – were also based on unrestrained, random and confident drawings.