What do you think of when you hear the word vessel?

For me, the first thing that pops into my mind is transportation: boats, cars, planes…you know, vessels.

But when I think about it a little more, I start to think of anything that one can store something in: cups, jars, vases, wallets…you know, vessels.

The inspiration for this post came from Local Social, a San Francisco-based organization whose mission is to merge elements of design, art, and craft through community collaboration and events.

So, with that in mind, I present 9 of my favorite photos of vessels.

 

Dock workers at a pier in Honduras
This image combines both of my ideas of a vessel, as it’s got containers, bottles AND a ship docked in a Honduran port town

 

A monk heading up a boat on the Mekong River in Laos
A Monk pilots an old wooden vessel up the Mekong River in Laos

 

A Beerlao bottle being used as a candle holder
A beer bottle serves as the vessle for a tall candle in Laos

 

The theme of this photo is Asia in an English cup
A scene from my mother’s apartment featuring a mug as a vessel with an traditional English home surrounded by Asian-themed items

 

A train ride through the Ella hills of Sri Lanka
Trains can be vessels too, like this one that weaves through the tea-filled hills of Sri Lanka

 

The Roosevelt Island Tram soars above the East River in New York City
An aerial tramway in New York City acts as a vessel to shuttle passengers across the East River

 

Washington, DC streetcar in front of the ferry building
San Francisco has it’s fair share of unique vessels, like this Washington DC Streetcar in front of the Ferry Building

 

Gotta love a place where I can get a tiki mask and Shrek in the same frame
Once again revisiting my mother’s apartment, here a tiki vase serves as a vessel for flowers with Shrek standing guard in the distance

 

A ferry at the Champasak dock, Laos
A pair of men wait for a large local vessel to take them across the Mekong river in Champasak, Laos

So what do YOU think of when you think of vessels?