Weight, 2015
10in x 14in (individual sheets)
14ft x 14ft (installed)
Handmade abaca paper, 24k gold leaf, ash, photo emulsion lift
'Weight' is a series of handmade paper representing the worth of objects lost in the fire as identified by an insurance inventory document. Each sheet of handmade paper represents a different object and its relative worth in gold. This work is inspired by Joss Paper, a Chinese ritual in which gold papers are folded into the likeness of gold bars and burned to ensure the stability of the deceased in the afterlife. Contemporary Joss Paper practices also include the burning of paper likenesses of everyday objects. My artwork, deemed worthless by the insurance company, is represented by the gray sheets made from pulping the scorched remnants of my art salvaged from the fire.