Jacob makes objects and site-based works that are rooted in architecture and domestic space. Much of the work employs movement or temperature shifts and references the presence of a body. For the past several years she has worked with Temple Grandin, an autistic woman and animal scientist, in developing furniture that squeezes or ‘hugs’ the sitter. Jacob is also a member of the Chicago-based collaborative group Haha. Working together since 1989, their work focuses on the exploration of social positions relative to a particular site. Haha has produced projects incorporating a wide range of media including video installation and broadcast, audio tours, community gardens, live performance and interactive installations.
Jacob has exhibited internationally at the Centre Georges Pompidou, the Whitney Biennial, Galerie Emmanuel Perotin (Paris), MIT List Visual Arts Center, Chicago Project Room, Galerie Schipper and Krome (Cologne), among others. She is the recipient of numerous awards and grants including a Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Artist Fellowship, Creative Capital Artist Fellowship, New Forms Regional Initiative Grant, and an Illinois Arts Council Artist Fellowship.