mnartists.org: Jessica Teckemeyer

Derailed

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:20:14 GMT

mixed media, 2011 feline dimensions: 75" x 16" x 27" [i]Derailed[/i] is a life-sized mountain lion sculpture clinging by its teeth from a knot at the end of a rope. I convey the idea of struggle through a twisted body that has activated tense muscles and extended claws. Many societies have utilized feline icons as metaphors to express human qualities and symbolize human relations. Continuing this lineage, several of my works take form as mountain lions. Apart from humans, large cats are the most widespread and successful land-bound predators.

image: Derailed [View 2]

image: Derailed [View 3]

Untitled I - IV

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:17:02 GMT

slip cast porcelain, glaze, glass, orchid, 2012 head size: 5.5 x 5.5 x 7 inches

image: Untitled I - IV

image: Untitled I - IV

Fawn or Foe

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:10:57 GMT

mixed media, 2012 dimensions: 11 x 27 x 14 inches In [i]Fawn or Foe[/i], I have sculpted a whitetail deer and masked its visage with a representation of a mountain lion, the deer's natural predator. Second Prize, "Tallahassee International" at FSU Museum of Art | Tallahassee, FL 3D Award, "36th Juried Exhibition" at Augustana Museum of Art | Rock Island, IL

image: Fawn or Foe [View 2]

image: Fawn or Foe [View 3]

Apparition

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:02:34 GMT

mixed media, 2012 feline dimensions: 52 x 36 x 24 inches An apparition of a person or a thing is an immaterial appearance that seems real and is generally startling in its manifestation. In my work, the unreal becomes tangible through sculptural animal forms. This sculpture is a mountain lion that physically cries. Supported in part through a grant provided by the Iowa Arts Council in conjunction with the National Endowment for the Arts.

image: Apparition [View 2]

image: Apparition [View 3]

All Things Truly Wicked Start From Innocence

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 19:59:23 GMT

image: All Things Truly Wicked Start From Innocence [View 2]

Untitled (Found Photograph)

Jessica Teckemeyer — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 00:12:11 GMT

Reliance (sinners and saints)

Jessica Teckemeyer — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 23:56:52 GMT

image: Reliance (sinners and saints)

image: Reliance (sinners and saints)

Planes of Existence

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 15:17:32 GMT

[color=black] [/color]Through sculptural installations my work explores human understanding of the physical world including the tangible, as well as the psychological. My research investigates the evolution of ancient stories into contemporary myth. Humans will always search to explain the marvelous and strange. We live in a time when Greek mythology exists independently of the culture that originated it and the belief system that sustained it. This allows for adapting a figure from traditional mythology into a form the contemporary mind can understand. Through presenting an altered notion of the past, it provides a lineage into exploring current belief systems.

The resulting installations integrate video with sculptural elements to create space for moving images and physical materials to interact. The visual language plays between the static and the changing. My installation “Planes of Existence” became an ambiguous construction rooted in literary and personal encounters. Ambiguous in the sense that the work cannot answer any of the questions it frames. The physical elements are symbols to represent the underlining concepts.

In the dark gallery space stands Cerberus, the three-headed watchdog of the Greek underworld. The monster’s middle head extends down to the shallow pool to drink water. Imagery projected onto the pool represents the moments one might expect after death. The four-minute looping video depicts transcending through a light tunnel leading to a river before taking the viewer back through the light tunnel. Cerberus drinking from the pool, not only physically connects the two objects, but also creates a visible tie between opposing spiritual worlds. Therefore, the touch of the tongue to the water is an encounter of contrasting and complimentary elements. A subtle ripple in the water originating at the tongue occurs several times a minute.

Though he is no longer regarded as the guardian of the dead, Cerberus remains an icon of fierceness, monstrosity, and physical mutation. My reason for using the hellhound is to represent the mythological character as a set of abstract concepts by expanding his current iconography. The dog’s presence allows viewers to think about the installation through ambiguous principles and values based on his demonic nature, rather than being confronted with a representation of a contemporary religious figure or god. The passage of time allows for his character to transmute and take on further significance. In this way, he becomes a metaphor for the complexity of the present by revealing something about the past.

My depiction complicates the figure’s fierce characterization through physical weaknesses to draw empathy from viewers. One paw is extremely small indicating deformity. The creature’s rib cage is also exposed to juxtapose the defined muscles. These unexpected features further complicate the notion of beast. The sculpture also implies the coexistence of multiple personalities. The dog’s heads portray a sense of one being wild, one suited to ensure survival, and one being tame. The greatest contrast exists between the two outer heads creating the paradoxical situation of good and evil.

The gaze from the head on the left side of the body directs the viewer’s attention to a small portal on the wall. The viewer peers through a clear circle in the black acrylic dome to reveal video of swirling green and blue liquid. The liquid swirls forward and backward, continuously, relating to the rhythm of breathing. The whirlpool serves as a metaphor for the implied internal turmoil of the dog, which is further suggested in the sculpture by using human eyes in the left-most head. Animals rely on instinct, rather than reason. The coexistence of moral dilemma in the sculpture relates to the contemporary self, allowing the viewer to relate to the notion of contradictions in the human mind.

image: Planes of Existence (detail)

image: Planes of Existence (detail)

image: Planes of Existence (detail)

image: Planes of Existence (detail)

image: Planes of Existence (detail)

image: Planes of Existence (detail)

Exhibition: Sensorium

Jessica Teckemeyer — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:38:59 GMT

[b]Jessica Teckemeyer: Sensorium Artist Statement[/b] [i]"The physical spaces we encounter are invested with symbolism and metaphor and are thus much enriched for this interplay between fantasy and reality – a process of enrichment of place that also enriches self, and offers to all who encounter a rich place to live ‘creatively’.[/i] ~Sarah Menin Sensorium refers to the sum of an organism’s perception, the part of the brain regarded as the “seat of sensation” where it experiences and interprets the environments within which it lives. We live in an era saturated with fluorescent lighting and concrete floors, television and video games, mass-production and regenerative medicine. Our culture has placed a significant emphasis on speed, layering of information and the complexity in the everyday. These cultural trends cause me to question the contemporary landscape and structure. In response, I create unexpected environments that slow the viewer to give them opportunity for introspection, as well as meditation. What if we had more places to immerse our bodies in pleasure and minds in contemplation? If you could dissolve into an earthly paradise, what type of experience would you create? The imagery and materials explore themes of sensuality, attraction, repulsion and fragility. In this series, the sculptures where perceived and created towards the presence of the viewer. My work explores the ways humans connect to the physical world. Our physical experience includes what we hear, taste, smell, see and touch, as well as, the emotional and psychological responses. The desire with each piece is to temporarily envelope the participant in an environment separate from the external world. These pieces are intended to entice the viewer to listen, touch or further inspect a hidden visual element to fully experience the art. The sculptures stimulate multiple senses through different levels of accessibility to the interiors. This rare gallery experience encourages a slow perusal to explore the work on several levels. The viewer is asked to contemplate his/her meaning of ‘the sensual’. Every person experiences sensations through his/her body. The senses include the haptic sensory system, which includes not only touch but also subcutaneous perception of surface, texture, contour, pressure, temperature, humidity, pain, and visceral sensation. The series allows the viewers to experience haptic perception, both directly and indirectly. Within the glossy shells of Chocolate and Pink Feathers are lush materialscapes; while Listen I-III please the ear with different rhythmic soundscapes. The physical stance of the participant is controlled by the sculptures' scale and installation. In some cases, the object becomes an extension of the individual's body allowing others in the gallery to view the work in its most complete physical state. Portal I & II host videos featuring translucent, gelatinous jellyfish and an elastic, shape-shifting octopus. Both creatures have alien-like qualities that are activated through sensual movement. As a whole, the work is the catalyst for questioning perception of objects, places and encounters.

image: Sensorium Exhibition

image: Sensorium Exhibition

image: Sensorium Exhibition

image: Sensorium Exhibition

image: Sensorium Exhibition

image: Sensorium Exhibition

Chocolate

Jessica Teckemeyer — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 22:25:57 GMT

Exhibited in: "Jessica Teckemeyer: Sensorium", 2010, Atwood Memorial Center, St. Cloud State. This piece is an extension of the work created originally for my Bachelor of Fine Arts exhibition. The interior of the orange glossy shell is a materialscape of fudge-like chocolate. Chocolate is one of the most revered substances on the planet and I’m interested in its sensual implications. “Chocolate” was perceived and created toward the presence of the viewer. The pieces encourage the viewer to participate by looking through the eye-openings of the masks. The physical stance of the participant is controlled by the sculptures’ scale and installation. When the viewer interacts, the object becomes an extension of the individual’s body allowing others in the gallery to view the work in its most complete physical state. Interaction is a necessary component of the artwork.

image: Chocolate

image: Chocolate

image: Chocolate

Listen 1-3

Jessica Teckemeyer — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:10:33 GMT

“Listen I-III” please the ear with different rhythmic soundscpaes. The sounds are familiar although many viewers misinterpret the origin. The first is a cat’s purr, the second is underwater, and the third is a baby’s heartbeat through an ultrasound. Exhibited in: "Jessica Teckemeyer: Sensorium", 2010, Atwood Memorial Gallery, St. Cloud State University.

image: Listen 1-3 (with participant)

image: Listen 1-3 (detail)

Marshmallow Creme

Jessica Teckemeyer — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 21:08:06 GMT

Exhibited in: "BFA Exhibition II", 2004, Rolland Dille Art Gallery, Minnesota State University Moorhead “Marshmallow Creme" was perceived and created toward the presence of the viewer. The pieces encourage the viewer to participate by looking through the eye-openings of the masks. The physical stance of the participant is controlled by the sculptures’ scale and installation. When the viewer interacts, the object becomes an extension of the individual’s body allowing others in the gallery to view the work in its most complete physical state. Interaction is a necessary component of the artwork. Within the glossy shells of “Marshmallow Creme” is a materialscapes that creates a mini-environment separate from the external world. I’m interested in the sensual implications of the material.

image: Marshmallow Creme (with participant)

image: Marshmallow Creme (interior detail)

Pink Feathers

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:20:07 GMT

Exhibited in:"Jessica Teckemeyer: Sensorium", 2010, Atwood Memorial Gallery, St. Cloud University, St. Cloud, MN; "Interactive", 2006, Walsh Art Gallery, Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ; "BFA Exhibition II", 2004, Rolland Dille Art Gallery, Minnesota State Univerisity Moorhead. “Pink Feathers” was perceived and created toward the presence of the viewer. The pieces encourage the viewer to participate by looking through the eye-openings of the masks. The physical stance of the participant is controlled by the sculptures’ scale and installation. When the viewer interacts, the object becomes an extension of the individual’s body allowing others in the gallery to view the work in its most complete physical state. Interaction is a necessary component of the artwork. Within the glossy shell of “Pink Feathers” is a lush materialscapes that create mini-environments separate from the external world. I’m interested in the sexual implications of the material.

image: Pink Feathers

image: Pink Feathers

image: Pink Feathers

Skin

Jessica Teckemeyer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:07:33 GMT

Every person experiences sensations through his/her body. The senses include the haptic sensory system, which includes not only touch but also subcutaneous perception of surface, texture, contour, pressure, temperature, humidity, pain, and visceral sensation. “Skin” allows the viewer to focus on the physical connection between his/her body and the cast silicone. The Braille piece was inspired and titled after Ellen Lupton’s book Skin. The opening paragraph of her book reads: [i]“Skin is a multilayered, multipurpose organ that shifts from thick to thin, tight to loose, lubricated to dry, across the landscape of the body. Skin, a knowledge-gathering device, responds to heat and cold, pleasure and pain. It lacks definitive boundaries, flowing continuously from the exposed surfaces of the body to its internal cavities. It is both living and dead, a self-repairing, self-replacing material whose exterior is senseless and inert while its inner layers are flush with nerves, glands, and capillaries.” [/i] This is the most poetic description I have ever read. I decided to translate her words into Grade 2 Braille (which is the most commonly used text system for the blind). The translation of words into a tactile system honors her description by allowing viewers to contemplate the experience of sensations through his/her skin.

image: Skin

image: Skin

image: Skin

image: Skin