"Technology is not an escape from the body, it is a return to it.

It is the discovery of a new limb yet to be incorporated

into our cultural proprioception."

My practice is a catalyst to this incorporation that emerges from a mytho-informatic theater; an interdisciplinary practice whose methodology situates the performer in a space between the mythic imagination and technological reality by the interweaving of narrative and ritual with information systems. This process generates poetic bridges, gaps, and apertures through which performed narratives create new techno-mythic semantics. The resulting works are deviations from within this new terrain that explores physical embodiment as an integral element of poietic systems. By performing a process of physicalization, systems are given a tactile interface with the body’s semiotics and in turn the body performs processes on an equal stage as embodied information. Questions generated by this research aim to investigate the body as a part of a living human history whose stories, gestures, and methods traverse boundaries of man and machine.

Jacob is a multimedia performance artist and teacher whose interdisciplinary works have been exhibited in both academic and theatrical institutions through lectures, workshops, collaborations, and formal performances. After studying marine biology at Texas A&M, and sculpture at the University of Houston, Jacob received his MFA from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago at which he also taught contemporary practices. His experience and teaching is backed by knowledge and practice in multiple disciplines of art and design as well as electronics, programming, and digital fabrication. Jacob currently engaged in collaborative projects with artists in New York and Chicago and France.

Teaching Philosophy

As a teacher I strive to implement practices that create a collaborative and safe learning environment dedicated to the development of students’ research practices, communication, critical analysis and time management. I envision my role as a teacher to be a facilitator of discovery and inquiry with the ultimate goal of empowering my students with self-directed learning skills essential for professional success. Specifically, art education interests me because it offers a unique opportunity for students to develop critical creative skills that can be applied across disciplines. I believe that by fostering divergent thinking and collaboration in the classroom, students are more prepared to face the challenges of an ever evolving society.