ARTIFACTS/ECOFACTS
Bio:
Jessica Tenbusch received her BFA in 2011 and MFA in 2014 from Eastern Michigan University. She was born in Metro-Detroit in 1984 and in her childhood, she was lucky to share her home with a multitude of other animals and hundreds of houseplants. Outside was always inside. She has devoted her studio practice to these relationships with other species and how they shaped her experience as a human animal. She lives and works in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Her practice is located within Ypsi Alloy Studios, a 3D arts studio she co-owns with two other local artists.
Artist Statement:
Artifacts are the physical manifestations of our presence. Artifacts are defined as human-made only, a modification of natural materials. Other types of artifacts are naturefacts, objects taken from their natural environment and used as is, unmodified; and animal artifacts, a creation by a non-human animal. Artifacts/Ecofacts attempts to collapse all of these definitions to create artifacts that represent the complex relationships between humans and other species. The works are observations of our roles as ecosystem builders and reflect the non-human animal and plant species that live in human-made ecosystems. Artifacts/Ecofacts are fragments of our daily environment. They reflect just how close nature is in our everyday lives. The mental construct of “nature outside of human spaces” creates a block, keeping us from seeing the nature that is embedded in our homes and neighborhoods.
See more of Jessica’s work on her website.
Check out Written Into Rock in the 117 Gallery from now until May 5. Learn more about the exhibition here.
