What's in the Bag?

Ahead of her appearance at MANIPULATE, Edinburgh’s international festival of visual theatre and animated film, the author and performance artist Katherina Radeva kindly let Megan Merino empty the contents of her whimsical bag

RAZGAR PORTABLE COFFEE DRIPPER AND PENCIL CASE

I absolutely love this brand, made in my native Bulgaria by a young product designer. The coffee dripper flatpacks, it’s got a super-sexy design, and it guarantees me a decent coffee when staying in cheap hotels for work. I doodle all the time so I have a lovely collection of Sharpies stored in a Razgar pencil case. I often look for unusual colours, like grey and beige.

NEAL’S YARD HAND SPRAY

I first bought this product in March 2020 while in London on a work trip. I was working on a design job and visiting lots of charity shops. I was touching a lot of stuff so I got this little bottle and, within six hours, the government announced lockdown. I use it all the time as it smells lush and I’m often on trains.

THE 40/40 BOOK

This copy has been in my bag since last August so it’s got a little bent around the edges. I’ve been revising it as I prepare for my show [entitled 40/40]. It keeps altering, expanding and moulding into new territories. As people we change, and the circumstances around us change constantly, so I want that reflected in the show.

THE TRUTH CATCHER EMBROIDERY

I have started embroidering a little obsessively! It’s so relaxing and great for focus. I love the delicacy of it and how the back of the embroidery looks; it’s like an abstract painting. I developed a character called The Truth Catcher so I am working on a series of embroideries about The Truth Catcher’s adventures; almost like a comic. I do this on trains and I can’t tell you how many conversations it has started.

LUCKY RABBIT’S FOOT

It’s a long story how I got to have a lucky rabbit foot or why I’ve had it for over a decade in my daily bag. I was given two as a gift by a lover I love deeply. I lost one, but this is the other. I hope I never lose this one. Ah, life! It’s full of weird and wonderful stuff and my lucky rabbit foot is one of those things.

Katherina Radeva: 40/40 will be presented at Fruitmarket, Edinburgh, Tuesday 7 February (as part of MANIPULATE Festival, Thursday 2–Sunday 12 February), and at Tramway, Glasgow, Friday 10 & Saturday 11 February.