Jonas Johansson is an anywhere-based artist, educator, and designer from Glommen, Halland. His work explores light and technology through play, community, and (un)human intervention.
Since 2024 Jonas plans courses for Svenska Tecknare, taught Visual Communication at Beckmans (2017–2025), served as Industry Leader at Hyper Island (2014–2022), and have lectured at Aalto University, Konstfack, School of Machines, Berghs, Nyckelviken, Futuregames, to name a few.
Jonas's professional experience includes KRAM/WEISSHAAR (SE/DE), FIELD (UK) and Moment Factory (CA). He interned at W+K Tokyo (JP) and UltraSuperNew (JP).
Under the moniker Scenic Route, he has performed for artists such as La Fleur, Kornel Kovacs, Gesafellstein, Yuksek and all time idol, The Field.
Today, Jonas runs the artist residency Visualia, produces the fulldome film festival Dome Dreaming, co-creates events with PLX, collaborates with the lighting collective Svartljus, and co-founded Nordic Audiovisual Artists. He shares a studio in Stockholm with SMASH and Rose Hallgren.
Transcend
An interactive Pepper's Ghost installation inspired by the Sistine Chapel, where two virtual hands meet in mid-air.
Transcend was built for Urban Burn Stockholm in 2017, in collaboration with Hybrid Forest (later Smash Studio) and Rose Hallgren. Two acrylic glass pyramids, one inverted on top of the other, sat inside a wooden cage adorned with colours, patterns, and vines. We wanted an Indiana Jones feeling, like discovering a hidden ancient machine.
Visitors placed their hands into one of two boxes, each housing a Leap Motion sensor that turned their hand into a virtual one. The hand was displayed on a hidden monitor and reflected through the acrylic using the Pepper's Ghost technique, making it appear to hover inside the pyramid. The virtual hands were covered in Aztec and Mayan-inspired patterns. Inspired by Michelangelo's Creation of Adam, when two visitors' index fingers touched, light streaks and particle effects appeared alongside an audio cue. People loved just moving their hand around, watching it float in thin air, and then pulling friends over to complete the gesture together. It was my first time working with Pepper's Ghost and hand sensing, and the Leap Motion turned out to be a great choice.