XYZZY is a 40 minute fulldome cinematic experience by artists Jess Johnson and Simon Ward.
Designed for planetariums, XYZZY will lead you on a psychedelic musical odyssey through the complex fictional world the artists have been evolving over a decade-long collaborative practice.
Video director Simon Ward created XYZZY by translating Jess’s hand-drawn compositions into animated webs of flesh mandalas, self-replicating architecture, undulating worms, hallucinogenic pattern, and messianic alien deities. The dynamic visual atmosphere is charged with 90s-inspired electronic synthesiser soundtrack from musicians Andrew Clarke, Luke Rowell, Stef Animal and Lachlan Anderson.
Commissioned by Tūhura Otago Museum and Melbourne City Council’s Now or Never Festival