In my practice I enjoy using found imagery and product photography. Through video and collage my work explores ideas of consumerism and surplus while using humor to evoke a critique on the necessity of the products and the product photography I am appropriating. I find the imagery I use on the Internet from websites such as Amazon and re-use it to make work that studies the American cultural habits of mindless consumption. My digital collages come from series of works that not only comments on ideas of consumerism but also compares characteristics of the online web to human observance. The digital world exists simultaneously with the physical. I am interested in contrasting ideas of effortless spending and consumption with the subtle personal attachments and narratives we place on these purchased objects. My videos and my digital collages embrace the format of the computer screen and aim to highlight the physiological and technological stream of consciousness that occurs when browsing the internet.

I value humor in my work and in my life. I began to use reclaimed materials that I found while trash-picking and found a humorous pairing when incorporating these materials with my use of found images from the internet. Using found or recycled materials seemed like such a logical step in my art making process.I use reclaimed and recycled materials for their availability and affordability. Money is a concern for everyone and being a young unemployed artist in college can be discouraging when all you want is to dream big and make your vision come true. I have made many visions come true with the use of free or affordable recycled materials. When working with fabrics I always purchase from Resource Exchange. Currently, I am working in video and digital collage and use materials purchased at Resource Exchange such as paint and tiles to use in my videos or photograph for my collages. The excitement of not know what you’re going to find mixed with the affordability of the material makes Resource Exchange such an inspiring and stress-free part of my art making process.

Em Jensen is a Philadelphia based artist attending Moore College of Art & Design. She is majoring in Fine Art and has a minor in Art History. Her work has been exhibited at places such as University of Colorado Boulder and Vox Populi in Philadelphia. Her practice revolves around sculpture, collage, and audio/video based media. She works heavily with found imagery, in particular product photography. Em explores ideas of humor, appropriation of image, surplus, and consumerism.