How does an artist make work in extreme circumstances? In this film, artist Mariah Robertson wears a makeshift hazmat suit, face mask, and breathing apparatus to create a series of hand-processed color photographs in her darkroom in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Navigating both a toxic process and discontinued materials, Robertson’s ability to perfect her technique is a race against time, dwindling resources, and her ability to endure difficult conditions.

The artist’s unorthodox, photo-based projects often employ multiple techniques in a single image: enlarging negatives, employing filters, crafting hand-made patterns of colored gels, and placing objects—such as agate, hoses, and glass—directly on the paper. In addition, Robertson achieves one-of-a-kind results by developing each photo in an artisinal fashion by spraying chemicals and by controlling reactions with variable temperatures and the strength of her materials. In the end, Roberton’s tragicomic images poke fun at a traditional photography culture while exploring the slow obsolescence of analog processes in a digital era.