Waste Scenes is a two-channel video created by artists Maia Chao and Fred Schmidt-Arenales during the Philadelphia-based Recycled Artist in Residency. Working inside an active recycling center, they built short, performative vignettes choreographed by various materials including discarded books and old tapes found on site. Through episodic narration, Schmidt-Arenales and Chao reinterpret material decomposition to encourage recognition of the throwaway culture of contemporary America. The ICA’s gallery hours are Wednesday through Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with extended evening hours on Thursday until 8:00 p.m. Free and open to the public.
