Haul

A book of digitally printed photos on Masa paper, in a Japanese side-stab binding. Housed inside a cloth bag and a handmade box tied with leather strings. 2011. Book: 6.5” x 9.5"

Today, the line between wants and needs is deliberately blurred beyond recognition to fuel an economic system based on consumerism, founded in America and exported to all corners of the world. Constantly, we are manipulated through advertising, branding, and packaging, creating desire where none existed before. In Haul, I examined the new (at the time of making) phenomenon of “haul” videos on YouTube. In these, young people eagerly share their recently purchased items, often clothes and accessories, shoes, make-up, room decor, or candles, with like-minded viewers. In the book, YouTube-window-shaped images of (usually) girls and young women holding up a purchased item appear on each page. As the book proceeds, the image takes up more of the page, while simultaneously the purchased item covers more of the purchaser, overtaking them visually. The leather cover, inside a cloth bag, inside a box, tied with leather strings, is meant to mimic the packaging of a high-end handbag or other luxury item.