The Gold Leaf Gift Boxes transform photographic darkroom waste into seductive luxury objects—small gold leaf boxes wrapped with elaborate bows, some covered in delicate fabrics, others lined in deep red velvet. Each box contains toxic darkroom remnants and clay kitty litter, preserving traces of photographic labor, consumption, and chemical excess.
By turning hazardous residue into beautiful treasure objects, I mimic the mechanisms of wealth itself—how something harmful can be repackaged as desirable, collectible, and valuable. The gold leaf, velvet, and decorative bows seduce the viewer before revealing the unsettling reality contained within. Through these works, I question a culture in which wealth is often built through the contamination of shared resources while the consequences are displaced onto the public.
Who benefits from systems of excess, and who is left carrying the waste.