Tessel graduated in 2022 from the Master of Fine Art: Lens-Based Media at the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam. She has a BA and a MA in Fimdramaturgy (University of Utrecht) and worked for 15 years as a videographer for multiple clients in the cultural field.
She is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands
My work stands out through the way I magnify and transform the everyday into something abstract and immersive. Using macro lenses, I capture unnoticed structures and processes, giving familiar materials and phenomena an almost otherworldly quality. This results in a still, observational way of looking, where time seems to stretch and the boundary between reality and imagination blurs.
What makes my art innovative is the way I combine film with presentation forms that intensify the experience. My videos are not simply displayed on a screen but are presented in specially designed frames, turning them into moving paintings. This brings the texture and materiality of the image closer, inviting the viewer to lose themselves in it.
I also explore the impact of sound on perception. The soundscapes in my work are not just supportive but an integral part of the experience. They enhance the suggestive power of the image and help guide the viewer into a state of introspection.
My method is rooted in patient observation and experimentation: I film long processes—such as flowing water, dissolving substances, or shifting structures—allowing natural dynamics to shape the work. This creates a balance between control and chance, between science and poetry. My work does not function as a fixed narrative but as an open space for interpretation, inviting the viewer to embark on their own inner journey.