Drew Chasse

independent major in Studio Art and Theatre Design

I have always been amused by stranger's names written in my clothes. Even though there is anonymity in most used items, memories of their former users are found in the marks left behind. I often connect to different material items, assigning value to the memory each of them holds. Material memory operates as a sign of comfort, like a cozy couch that has been broken in. The traces of time and usage become fixed in stains left by the sun on fabric, for example, working as clues into past time, space, and untold narratives.

As an artist I inhabit two different creative worlds: Theatre Design and the Visual Arts. For the prior, I solve spatial problems to serve a prescribed narrative and in the latter I give body to found narratives. I have learned to work across disciplines, allowing these two worlds to both counter and inform each other.

Finding Treasure

mixed media, found materials

When I continued to do studio work at Wellesley College, it was a new beginning. Production became a questionable issue when living in a place of privilege. Observing the amounts of dorm waste accumulated in the trash bins became disheartening, and though it was hard to comprehend, I immediately and passionately reacted to the abundance of scavenge-able supplies around me. I allowed myself to inhabit this grey area and dealt with the conflict by collecting and repurposing objects and materials.

I did not take this lightly and recognized my privilege in the ability of critically examining my impact in the environment. I compulsively resurrected items that had been discarded, and though this compulsion felt materialistic in its own way, I could not resist looking at the world through a repurposing lens. This is how I moved to working outside, taking long exploratory walks and collecting litter. This time, rather than searching for function in the collected items, I started a survey collection of sorts. Anything that did not belong in nature, was an item to be gathered and categorized. The feeling of these items was much different, not only because of the visible weather wear but because the source became anonymous. Color, texture, wear, and marks provided clues and I was able to ask a wider set of questions. Who is responsible? How much blame do different reminiscences assign? Who owns this and what exactly is ownership? What gives anybody the right to claim or deny ownership?

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