Texture + Transparency

Johnson, who died in 2005 and donated his estate to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, built the Studio in 1980, more than 30 years after the iconic Glass House that gives the property its name. The small library and office is the apparent antithesis of the Glass House, with brick walls and just three openings: the entrance door, a skylight over the desk, and a window framing a view of the Ghost House. 

The Ghost House, completed in 1984, is a skeletal sculpture akin to Frank Gehry's early work in Los Angeles. Like the Glass House, it is transparent, revealing itself to visitors. In the hands of filmmaker Michael Biondo and MYND Workshop's Michael Robison and Dallas Bennett, the Studio is presented along the lines of the Ghost House. The short film incorporates the former's on-site photography and the latter's scanning of the building using point cloud technology.

The Studio is one of six short films in the Texture & Transparency series being released by The Glass House in May and June. Visit The Glass House website for more information on the series and to watch the films, which culminate with a virtual tour of the 1949 Glass House on June 12.