about
A habitual researcher and avid seeker of stories, Jean Ni (they/she) engages with the world through open-ended experimentation. Their values are embedded in an art of living that is attentive to care, accountability, and the cultivation of respectful relations with all fellow beings.
By integrating landscape experience, feminist inquiry, and speculative fiction, Jean conspires with others to collectively craft apparatuses that reject violent hegemonic structures. They are interested in the transformative power of design fictions, and the political and ethical implications of language in storytelling. Their artistic practice grapples with questions of ontology, intimacy, monstrosity, meaning-making, and identity formation in space.
Jean’s design work centers social justice through facilitating spatial equity initiatives and advocating for pathways to meaningfully engage diverse communities. Their collaborations incorporate conscientious analysis, concept development that translates visions into physical design, and empathetic processes of understanding and honoring community values from early engagement through place making.
Jean is a licensed landscape architect in Seattle, WA. They received an MLA from the University of Washington in 2018 and BA in International Studies/Sociology from University of California at San Diego. They are currently immersed in the Inland Academy, an independent post-graduate program centering social transformation, rural culture, agroecology, and art.
In their own time, Jean finds joy in exploring feminist science fiction, etymology, political ecology, textile arts, bicycle touring, and rocks.