@theretheirtheyreshow @ba.design.gold
18-22 JUNE 2026
Unit 8, 133 Copeland Rd, London, SE15 3SN
Unit 8, 133 Copeland Rd, London, SE15 3SN
Would you sacrifice your pinky toe for a diamond?
Emily Denton
"This speculative project explores the relationship between preservation, beauty, and material value within the human body. It originates from an existing practice in which ashes and hair can be transformed into a meaningful diamond from a lost loved one. Building on this, the project examines processes of preservation and transformation, pushing them into a more speculative and slightly absurd territory, asking: what if this transformation could be used to generate value from the living self? It frames the body as both an archive and something that can be controlled.
The focus then shifts from preservation to transformation, converting human carbon into diamonds to question how value is assigned to physical matter. Would you sacrifice your pinky toe for a 20-carat diamond? The project ultimately presents a speculative system in which identity, value, and the body intersect, questioning how far we might go to preserve, transform, or even give ourselves away entirely."
The focus then shifts from preservation to transformation, converting human carbon into diamonds to question how value is assigned to physical matter. Would you sacrifice your pinky toe for a 20-carat diamond? The project ultimately presents a speculative system in which identity, value, and the body intersect, questioning how far we might go to preserve, transform, or even give ourselves away entirely."
Speculative design
Transformation
Speculative design
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