Mika ‘Lumi’ Tuomola 1971-2016

The department is shocked and saddened by his untimely death and we offer our sincere condolences to Mika’s family and close friends.

Mika Tuomola was a student of the first intake for the MA in New Media program when it was launched in 1994. His graduation thesis work, Daisy’s Amazing Discoveries, which he wrote and directed was one of the world’s first examples of Internet based interactive drama. Mika was chosen for the Young Artist of the Year 1997.

After graduation and time spent working at Sweden’s Interactive Institute Mika returned to the Media Lab and founded the Crucible Studio, one of the department’s research groups, which he led between 2001 and Summer 2015. During those years Mika led Crucible in numerous collaborative projects and productions, fuelled by his joyful and untiring energy and enthusiasm. He moved to a tenured Professorship position at Politecnico di Milano in Autumn 2015. 

Mika was a pioneer of his field, a passionate artist researcher, a much loved teacher and a highly intelligent and cultured colleague and friend with whom we’ve built and developed the Media Lab and Department of Media. He will be sorely missed by all of us who had the pleasure of working with him.

Philip Dean
Head of Department of Media
9.6.2016