Exhibition
Preview | John-Powell Jones: CYBERJUNK
14 Oct 2021
Castlefield Gallery
Manchester, United Kingdom
CYBERJUNK takes place on the planet Durt 1,000 years after the Quantum Crash: a botched experiment that saw the first humanoid quantum teleportation result in a disaster of apocalyptic scale.
John Powell-Jones’ first major solo exhibition CYBERJUNK includes: 3D and 2D animation, life-size characters, a comic book, ceramics and tufted wall hangings. His work is informed by the ways in which dominant ideologies and power structures influence our perceptions of reality. In particular, how the warped western view of progress and success affects our understanding of morality. These ideas are explored through the use of speculative fiction, taking inspiration from European folklore, body horror, survival horror and science fiction. Powell-Jones aims to form a dialogue with our present and an imagined dystopian future in which the horrors of capitalism and neoliberal ideology are present as cyborgs, demons and maggots.
A B-movie aesthetic runs through the work with bright blues, fleshy pinks and slime greens. Powell-Jones puts his self-taught skills to work in a variety of mediums. Characters from the CYBERJUNK story recur in comic illustrations, ceramic figures, life-size models and textile pieces throughout an exhibition which takes on the form of a museum of sorts; transporting audiences to the CYBERJUNK universe as spectral observers of a looped timeline spanning a thousand years. In places, Powell-Jones makes good use of inexpensive materials such as cardboard, tape and recycled wood, as well as open-source software; embracing a DIY ethos and a culture of openness that runs contrary to the toxic neoliberal ideology that places the gains of a small human elite and technological progress above the health and wellbeing of the Earth and the rest of its inhabitants.
Castlefield Gallery is partnering with IMT Gallery, London to deliver this exhibition in two parts across both venues. CYBERJUNK: QUANTUM CRASH will be on show at IMT Gallery London, 8 October – 12 December 2021. imagemusictext.com
Exhibition
Preview | John-Powell Jones: CYBERJUNK
14 Oct 2021
Castlefield Gallery
Manchester, United Kingdom
Exhibition
Saturday Slow-Preview: John Powell-Jones: Cyberjunk
16 Oct 2021
Castlefield Gallery
Manchester, United Kingdom
Event
John Powell-Jones: CYBERJUNK late opening with live soundtrack
02 Dec 2021
Castlefield Gallery
Manchester, United Kingdom
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