Out of the Abyss

2018. Three-channel video installation (color, sound), media player, projector, 19 min., seamless loop.
Out of the Abyss combines imagery from modern consumerism with symbols from the Book of Revelations, eliciting anxieties about an increasingly uncertain future. Visually extravagant, the work re-imagines elements such as the seven-eyed lamb and the four horsemen as terrifying beasts of the present day, adorned with security cameras, riot gear, and consumer electronics. Created using CGI software, the imagery is highly-detailed and appropriates the slick visual aesthetics found in advertisements or commercials.
Photo of people viewing video installation Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan in large immersive theater space. Photo of people viewing video installation Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan in large immersive theater space.

multi-channel immersive installation from Digital Extravaganza, Theatre of Digital Art, Dubai, UAE, 2022

Photo of video installation Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan, three projections onto freestanding screens, gallery space.

three-channel installation from A Trace Left by the Future, Anna Nova Gallery, St. Petersburg, 2020

Still from Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan, showing electronics, gray fabric, and floating object resembling jellyfish. Still from Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan, showing purple robots ridiing horses on a beach. Still from Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan, showing cans of soda water in front of a purple energy portal. Still from Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan, showing a floating object against a sunset sky. Still from Out of the Abyss by Jonathan Monaghan, showing a lamb with surveillance cameras and yoga mat.