Laurel is an ancient symbol of triumph historically used to crown emperors, athletes, and the victorious. Once signifying honor and power, even divine favor, the laurel here is dried and left behind with its meaning withered and tethered. 

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Victory is not fixed or celebratory, but unstable, shaped by shifting
values and unseen costs. This work asks what it means to triumph
where the line between winning and losing is increasingly blurred,
and where every crown carries the weight of what has been
compromised, dehumanized, sacrificed, or lost.

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To quote the 20th century poet, Edwin Starr:
“War, huh, yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing.”

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