MFAiD

2018-2021

Taliesin West

Jonathan Paul Wheeler

Purpose

I imagine narratives that I try to bring into reality through writing, sculpture, painting, drawing, teaching, photography, and film. Fiction in Design is a way for me to share my vision of the future with others. The storytellers are the shapers of reality; I try to add my two cents. Lynch, Kubrick, Bear, Clarke, Heinlein, Herbert, Dali, and Bucky Fuller are among those who have inspired my visual work.

Projects

As a graduate student, I’m researching interactive media, graphic design, sculpture, and video production. In addition to making my own narrative sf films, I work on branding and promotional videos for local non-profits, governmental organizations, and schools. For me, it’s all about merging art and craft.

Statement

I was a kid in the 80’s. My dad would let me stay up late to watch pulpy sci-fi like Logan’s Run and Doctor Who. It made me feel special because my brothers were fast asleep while I enjoyed the company of my dad who spent most of his time working. One of my earliest, clear memories was watching a VHS copy of David Lynch’s Dune. I can remember seeing Herbert’s paperback version in my dad’s overfilled library, snatching it, and reading it cover-to-cover over the course of two days. At a tender age when my friends were playing in the mud with GI Joes, I was folding space on a Guild Highliner:

The sleeper had awakened.