2021 Senior Exhibition Artists

I’m Still Here, but All Is Lost 1, 2021, Archival Pigment Print, 24x36 inches

Ethan Lassey

Art + Design: Photography

About Ethan Lassey

Ethan Lassey received his BFA in Photography from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in 2021. Photographing and constructing full scale sets as well as miniatures, his photos the home, using living spaces as a backdrop to explore tension and distress surrounding environmental disaster. Often utilizing himself as a model to root his photos as personal reflections, and taking interest in the bright and haughty aspects of home decor. Taking great inspiration from film, his photos are carefully lit and constructed with a loose narrative running through.

Statement

The constructed sets in these photographs attempt to capture a space in transition. An environment caught somewhere between a living room and bunker this series sets out to display anticipation of catastrophe. The character found in the space is in a state of preparation, getting ready for guests or sporting events that may never come. In doing this there is a rejection of the aforementioned catastrophe, an apathy towards it. This is the routine of planning for a future that might not exist. In this isolation, games and activities become dull, and this preparation becomes thrilling- all consuming.

There are few things found in these photos that are not man made, from plants to lights to animals, the bulk of it is artificial. Nature is not shown here but represented by objects. The walls are often solid, suffocating colors that surround these sparse rooms, putting emphasis on the objects found inside. There is nowhere else to go but home, and nothing to do but clean and wait. These photos are about watching TV and waiting for the water to get too high.