AU / 2025

Although Gold (AU) is a rare element, it has been present as a product and tool throughout most recorded history. It has been an instrument of art, design, technology, warfare, and has even functioned as a device within institutional standards of classification and value. AU (2024) is a miniature essayistic exploration of the tangible cultural and political artifacts of gold, an element which historically persists as an object of desire and power. The film cites archival imagery of the mining industry, the California gold rush, footage of celebratory moments following victories of the “Golden State Warriors,” and a reading from Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. It also generates abstract imagery which attempts to represent alchemical interactions and the process of metal smelting. The film holistically examines the relationship between the representation/symbolism of power, wealth, and victory versus the industrial reality of gold mining.

HD Video / 5 minutes / 2025