I Am The Moss Lady: A Self Portrait In Stories

2023

Single-channel color video with sound, 16:9

5 minutes, 27 seconds

I Am The Moss Lady: A Self Portrait In Stories is a multimedia endeavor by artist Tessa Makai that explores the body as a landscape. The work is an interpretive self portrait of her physical form, experiences, community, and artistic practice. Inspired by her childhood in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains, filled with folktales and stories about the natural world,  Tessa employs various mediums, including sculpture, painting, movement, sound design, music, and editing. 

The piece is presented as a color video with sound, featuring ephemeral 2D vignettes layered in stop motion over a paper sculpture of Tessa's body. Her form gradually becomes covered with flora and fauna, illustrating how Tessa has integrated philosophies of cyclical growth and decay into her life and art. The sculpture was created using recycled paper from old medical documents, underscoring the themes of environmentalism and the body.

The movement and audio components play a significant role in imbuing vitality and ephemerality to the piece. By layering different types of stop-motion animation, Tessa creates both a sense of personality, and environment which further emphasize the theme of the body as a landscape. Sound and music are integral to the atmosphere and the project’s overall effect, lending a layered soundscape that enhances the visual imagery.

Through its unique combination of materials and media, I Am The Moss Lady investigates how self-portraiture can be more than just a bust on a canvas. The project is unobtrusive, visually appealing, and thought-provoking, tackling themes of environment, body, memory, decay, and growth. It is an investigation of an individual, but also an invitation: gently asking viewers to reflect on their own experiences and the people, events, and stories that have shaped them.