Part-archival and part-extrapolative, each work in LINGER WITH ME takes fragments of the material world and transforms them into new ephemeral experiences. As a collection of 3D and VR/360 works, everyday objects and sentimental spaces become the foundation for new dreamlike realms centered on memory and place. Reverent attention is paid to forms and essence found in source material, lovingly “translated” using traditional 3D and digital workflows. Each piece constitutes a living repository of translations, avatars for the originals and their embodied memories. In their new digital lives, these sites and their embedded stories become enduring keepsakes; roots which persevere even as the genuine articles are lost to time. Through embedded narratives, candid audio, and indirect interactivity, viewers are invited to glimpse into these intimate and deeply personal spaces, if only for a moment.
Melissa Johns is a multimedia visual artist and educator from a mixed Mohawk/French Canadian background, currently based in Toronto, ON. Melissa’s visual practice manifests at the convergence of contemporary media, using interdisciplinary methods to collect, preserve, and transform fragments of the stories around her. Specializing in virtual reality installations, digital painting, and video art, her work centers on investigating the narrative potential of these emergent channels. Having completed her undergraduate degree in Fine Arts & Business at the University of Waterloo, as well as an Advanced Diploma in 3D Animation from Humber College, Melissa is pursuing a Master’s in Interdisciplinary Art from OCAD University, and working as the Digital + Interactive Coordinator at imagineNATIVE. Her graduate research is focused on creating digital environments with embedded cultural narratives; facilitating emotional memory recall through constructions of the spaces that shape us.
Ri’ken:’a (my younger brother), 2021, 360