Mika Johnson (born July 10, 1975) is a multimedia artist mainly known for his work with virtual reality.[1] His work combines dream-like narratives, mythos, ritual, and biodiversity.
Mika Johnson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | July 10, 1975 San Diego, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Website | mikajohnson |
Biography
editJohnson was born in San Diego, California and graduated from Oberlin College in 2000.[2]
Johnson's early works were mostly documentary and fiction films. This includes a 15 part web series "The Amerikans," which features three- to five-minute performative documentaries,[3] and "Forever Professor": a 30-minute documentary on Mark McKinley, a college professor who amassed the world's largest collection of talking clocks.[4] In July 2017, the film was released online.[5]
In 2018, Johnson directed a virtual reality adaptation of Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis[6][7] produced by the Goethe Institut Prague,[8] along with four short virtual documentaries featuring Reiner Stach,[9] the author of a biography of Kafka.[10]
Johnson's debut feature, Confessions of a Box Man (2020), which mixes documentary and fiction film techniques and stars Marek Zelinka, a Czech professional actor, dancer, and choreographer. The film also features a cameo appearance by American conductor David Woodard,[11] premiered in Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival, in 2020, where Johnson won Best Director.[12] The film was also nominated for Best Narrative Feature. Confessions of a Box Man went on to win the Best Film Award at the 11th Cinema Open film festival in Hradec Králové, in the Czech Republic.[13]
In 2021, Johnson launched The Republic of Dreams,[14][15][16][17][18] a hypothetical republic, based on the work of Polish author Bruno Schulz. Inspired by dreams and dreaming, the interactive website and project, which features music by Waclaw Zimpel and illustrations by Marta Lissowska, premiered in July 2021, at Dom Spotkań z Historią (DSH, History Meeting House), in Warsaw.[19] The project's world premiere was launched in Ukraine, at the Lviv Book Forum.
In March 2022, Johnson premiered a large-scale virtual reality installation called The Infinite Library, which included four VR pieces, all created in collaboration with High Road Stories. The project, produced by Goethe Institut, is a traveling installation which reimagines the future of libraries as interactive spaces that engage visitors through multisensory forms of storytelling. In addition to the VR pieces, the installation includes a QR code game, holograms, 3D-printed models in jars (called The Volumes), audiovisual works, and the project’s central piece: a vast VR library set in a cave. Within this virtual space, The Infinite Library hosts smaller sub-libraries (called The Realms), dedicated to Polynesian Navigation, South Indian Puppetry, and European Alchemy.
Music videos
editJohnson has directed numerous music videos including one for the Sonja Vectomov song "Two in One", which features renowned prima ballerina Jana Andrsová.[20]
References
edit- ^ Johnston, Raymond. EXPERIENCE KAFKA’S VIA METAMORPHOSIS VIRTUAL REALITY, Prague.TV, January 15, 2018.
- ^ Communications, Oberlin Office of (2013). "Of Note | Oberlin Conservatory Magazine". www2.oberlin.edu. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
- ^ Crowe, J. THE AMERIKANS: Ordinary People with Beautiful Stories Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine, Visual News, 2013.
- ^ Forever Professor, The Monthly Film Festival, 2015.
- ^ Kadleck, K. Now Playing Archived 2019-02-02 at the Wayback Machine, Pulse Magazine, 2015.
- ^ Aubrey, Dave. Experience Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis’ Like Never Before In VR, VR Focus, February 4, 2018.
- ^ Wiesmann, Gerrit. Is literature next in line for virtual-reality treatment?, The Economist, March 8, 2018.
- ^ Kafkova „Proměna“ jako virtuální realita, Goethe.de (in Czech)
- ^ Efo Setkání se známým autorem Kafkovy biografie tváří v tvář: Provede vás knihovnou, stačí si nasadit brýle, Blesk, February 8, 2018. (in Czech)
- ^ "Über Reiner Stach", S. Fischer Verlag, 2011, Retrieved February 15, 2018. (in German)
- ^ Dapo, "Mika Johnson’s Confessions of Box Man presents a Framework that Playfully Challenges Our Obsessions", Indie Activity, November 2020.
- ^ Eastern Nigeria International Film Festival (ENIFF) Holds Its First Edition. (2020, December 6). Thedailyvendor.com. https://thedailyvendor.com/eastern-nigeria-international-film-festival-eniff-holds-its-first-edition/
- ^ Staff, "Známe vítěze 11. ročníku festivalu Cinema Open", Cinema Open, 2020. (in Czech)
- ^ El programa completo del tercer día del Filba - Tiempo Argentino. (2021, October 22). Tiempo Argentino.
- ^ Hoy empieza Filba 2021 con esquema mixto y grandes invitados internacionales. (2021, October 20). Infobae.
- ^ Zolezzi, R. (2021, October 9). La realidad, sombra de la palabra. Perfil.
- ^ Schulz, Bruno, and Duch Ekscentrzyczny. "Mika Johnson." Rzeczpospolita, Sept. 2021.
- ^ TVP Kultura. May 2021.
- ^ The Republic of Dreams | immersive installation. (n.d.). History Meeting House.
- ^ Franta, T., "Echolokátor: Sonja Vectomov—Two in One", AlterEcho, Jul 25, 2016.
Sources
edit- Hopkin, J.A. Kafkapanorama, The Times Literary Supplement, 2018.
- Forever Professor, The Monthly Film Festival, 2015.
- Barnett, D. Local Documentaries are Attracting a Global Audience, Ideastream, 2015.
- Johnson, M. Interior Worlds, Abitare, 2013.
- Love and Venom, Narratively, 2013.
- Gkiouzelis, D. Looking Through a Window Into Someone Else's World, Yatzer, 2013.
- Parker, M. How to Build a Really, Really Small House, Houzz, 2013.
- Buckley, L. Of Note, Oberlin Conservatory Magazine, 2013.
- Nagy, A. From the Heart of the Country, Oberlin Alumni Magazine, 2012.