This unique playmat is a foldable purse that children can take along everywhere. Unzip it and one of China’s most famous roundabouts comes to life. The bell tower in the middle is the hallmark of Xi’an, the city where I did an exchange program exactly ten years ago. I used a digital embroidery machine to make a simplified version of it. Wouldn’t every toy car like to be stuck there in a traffic jam?
This playmat was my final project for a weekly evening course I took part in last year. It taught me the basics about a lot of digital fabrication techniques, like lasercutting leather, 3D pattern drafting software CLO and digital embroidery design.
I was inspired by the play purse of Fabelab, and my little cousin who drags along her toy cars everywhere. There is a lot of hidden value behind this project: lots of cars, building blocks (because hey, we need apartment buildings to crash into) and even extra ‘road parts’ can be stored in the zipped-up playmat. Besides, this mat tells a story that I have never seen before on a toy car playmat: it reveals a part of Chinese culture, decoration, colors, chaotic traffic on multiple lanes.. Why buy a dull playmat if you can carry the world with you in the shape of a big fortune cookie?
Pictures by @geertsolga
