Traces and Pastimes
The installation “Traces and Past Times” is a trace of who, why, what and where we have been. I am a storyteller. The work investigates the notions of geographical, historical and cultural nostalgia, and how it relates to origins, family history, leisure as a family past time and memory.
The thread of influence that runs through this work is the impact of histories, tales of transformation passed down through family lineages. We are all interconnected. The present connects the future and the past. Here, now, is a reflection of home, family and the potential of a space to explore layers of identity, collective experience and meaning.”
National Museum Bermuda
2021
Inspired by film story boarding, the characters within the staging reference a diverse set of stories – myth creation as childhood imaginings, autobiographical accounts and forgotten histories.
The stories we share, pass down and tell ourselves transform over time. At the core of my work is a fundamental, two part question – how do we reconcile a textured and layered identity —what might be possible if we imagine identity in a new way ?
Taking the form of a large scale, site-specific installation, Hassell creates an immersive environment with a multitude of characters. Her work investigates memory and nostalgia to create unexpected narratives surrounding identity. Her work is an exploration of identity as an exploration of materials, and social practice. The work suggests that identity should be self-determined and understood, and contextualized through connection with others.
Employing a mix of both collage and flagging tape sculpture, the silhouettes of human forms are constructed from a variety of source material. Within the collaged figures, Hassell Layers archival Bermudian maps, documents, literature, personal family and appropriated photographs, and archival materials.
