Backpacks, handbags, briefcases and shopping bags, we all have one and they each tell a specific story of the person who carries them and the unique history they hold. Beginning on Thursday, 13 June at the Auckland War Memorial Museum, Carried Away: Bags Unpacked is a comprehensive collection of over 150 bags, exploring the stories behind them, as well as the design, materials and techniques used to create them.

The exhibition features many bags that have never been displayed before, unique objects full of human histories and undiscovered secrets. For those who love to pry into the lives of others, visitors can take a look inside the personal bags of strangers and even share their own, by scanning their personal items into a digital tote bag, projected for all to see. Running until December this year, you have plenty of time to check out this thought-provoking exhibtion.

For such an everyday object that we often take for granted, you might be surprised at how such a simple, unassuming bag has so much to say.