Recently, I’ve been interested in grounding my work in the vernacular of everyday discarded objects that have personal connections to my life and environment. By taking these objects out of context and utilizing color as a means to subvert its cultural signification, my hope is to invite an experience to see these objects in a different light; one in which draws attention to the work’s playfulness, humor and irreverence which is often discordant with the historical understanding of how we are meant to experience Art. The playfulness of the work stems from the parallels I see between the process of making art and the kind of rules one follows in playing games. Materials are not unlike movable game pieces. I often employ chance operations and game theory in constructing the work and organizing its form. This insures the work remains fluid; its philosophy of modularity allowing each form to always be different. This process allows me to distance my own agency, stay present and keep the experience mysterious and engaging for me.
Tom Jessen is a multimedia artist. He holds a BFA from the University of Iowa and an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Art. His work is in university and private collections, and has been shown nationally. He lives in Temple, Maine.