The French word dérive means literally “drifting." In Andrew Casto's exhibition, it refers to a technique of rapid passage through varied ambiances.

"My current body of work involves an investigation into dialogues concerning extant negative forces in our lives, and to what degree the phenomenological ramifications of responsibilities and stress shape us physically, mentally, and emotionally. The formal language present in this analysis is based on a material study of erosion and geological processes translated into ceramic and mixed media objects. I seek a purposeful link between macrocosmic environmental change, and interruptions in our otherwise routine existence. Within this inquiry, alternative and diverse construction methods are emphasized as tools of fresh, genuine expression in the creation of dynamic assemblages of great fragility. The foundation of this exploration is a desire to uncover the sublime in these moments of incongruity; the rush of presence into experience that might otherwise remain banal and ordinary, brought on by perceived inconvenience. My work asserts that it is possible for our daily vexations to illuminate the power of the present moment－something we all too often fail to notice.

"At its best, this investigation becomes collaborative in nature, and includes input from other artists to assist in problem solving, critical feedback on the relevance of one technique over another, and in the fabrication of unique construction elements. I often appropriate the discarded remnants of others’ work into my own; a type of studio 'sampling' in the electronica sense. My best work becomes intertwined with the sentiments of those around me, metaphorically and literally, and links my concerns and ideas to the immediate community in tangible fashion," Casto states.

Guy Debord (French Marxist theorist, writer, filmmaker, member of the Letterist International b. 1931-1994) wrote that "Dérives involve playful-constructive behavior and awareness of psychogeographical effects, and are thus quite different from the classic notions of journey or stroll. In a dérive, one or more persons during a certain period drop their relations, their work and leisure activities, and all their other usual motives for movement and action, and let themselves be drawn by the attractions of the terrain and the encounters they find there.”