Jess Johnson & Simon Ward: Terminus

Dec 17, 2022 to Feb 5, 2023 | New Media Project Lab

Jess Johnson and Simon Ward, Terminus (still), 2017 - 2018, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, commissioned with the assistance of The Balnaves Foundation 2017, purchased 2018 © Jess Johnson and Simon Ward, courtesy of Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney; Ivan Anthony Gallery, Auckland and Jack Hanley Gallery, New York.

Image: Jess Johnson and Simon Ward, Terminus (still), 2017 - 2018, National Gallery of Australia, Kamberri/Canberra, commissioned with the assistance of The Balnaves Foundation 2017, purchased 2018 © Jess Johnson and Simon Ward, courtesy of Darren Knight Gallery, Sydney; Ivan Anthony Gallery, Auckland and Jack Hanley Gallery, New York.

About

Inspired by Sci-Fi, comics and fantasy movies, Terminus is a virtual reality (VR) installation that transports the viewer into an imaginary landscape of rich colour and intricate patterns. These dream-like places are populated by humanoid clones and cryptic symbols, and explored via a network of travellators and gateways.

Terminus presents a quest, a choose-your-own adventure into the technological. Prepare yourself for a slippage of time and space as your journey propels you through five distinct realms: you will pass through Fleshold Crossing; take respite in Known Unknown; lose yourself within Scumm Engine; bravely face impending danger in the tower of Gog & Magog; and experience the brink of sensory overload in the psychedelic scenes of Tumblewych.

Terminus: Jess Johnson and Simon Ward is a National Gallery Touring Exhibition supported by Visions of Australia and the National Collecting Institutions Touring and Outreach Program. Terminus was commissioned with the assistance of The Balnaves Foundation.