REVERSE ARCHAEOLOGY

Inspired by the kitschy, consumerist babylon of San Francisco’s Chinatown, photographer Cera Hensley and photo stylist Arianne Gelardin go on a mission to excavate mysterious objects found in the obscure, dusty corners of Chinatown's most ancient chachka shops. Through a maze of trinkets, lost alleys and steamy bakeries, they walk away with pink plastic bags filled with strange tricks. Their work in the studio is complete alchemy, as they piece together objects into playful compositions that flaunt the peculiarities of such things, re-contextualizing them into a broader cultural canon.