Jawa El KhashSY/CA
Artist and researcher Jawa El Khash applies technology to blur the lines between visible and invisible, reality and simulation, fact and fiction. She expresses these notions through virtual reality, holography and painting. By building her own realities through software programs, the technologist wishes to expand the spectator's own worldview, an onlook made to be infinite and ephemeral. Toggling between present and past is key in El Khash's use of holography, all while playing with the concepts of time, space and memory. She builds fully immersive experiences that lead viewers towards introspection. El Khash has exhibited her work in Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver and Istanbul, and was mentored by Morehshin Allahyari at the Art Gallery of York University in 2020.
Jawa El Khash SY/CA — Hammam
Hammam is a virtual reality experience presented as a 360° video set in a bath house adorned in Islamic architecture. Deep tones of blue build contrast in the white building. Water and light materialize the simulated environment, accompanied by lanterns, prayer beads and butterflies. As the user wanders through the fog, it is quite clear: Hammam is a forsaken realm.
Audio design by Patrick Perez.
Who
Toronto-based Syrian artist and researcher Jawa El Khash, painting the fine line between simulation and reality through holography and VR.
Latest
El Khash is presently working on paintings inspired from her virtual reality artwork Chronicles of an Aeronaut.
More
The technologist held a talk called Poetics of World Building earlier this year, and regularly hosts workshops and seminars on game development in Toronto.
Links
Website
