John's World · Source archive

John's World: 1986

Stills from John’s World show a 1986 setting and the visual tests behind it.

Originally published as an Advisory Hour Substack post on 2026-06-05. This local copy preserves the text and public supporting media alongside the research record.

Original post

This is a collection of screen captures from the 1986 video tests I’ve posted online. These are stills from the virtualworld work I’m doing in John’s World (JW). There are fictional worlds and then there are fictional worlds that transport the mind. Transit is always an act of surrender and conversion in the seat at the cinema. When flickering images and enclosed prison-like walls take your mind’s eye out of your lived reality and transport you for a brief moment to a far-away place.

Maybe one day John’s World will trigger such magic, and until it does we have some great stories that can be lived thru these screen captures. Character, set and setting. A beater car, wet sidewalks, and a lead character whose very existence defines itself as a creature.

John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.
John's World: 1986 image from the original Advisory Hour post.

There are days and moments when an image will not do, like a shuffle of cards with no hand dealt. And so if you missed a recent drive test, I have the video here. Upon clicking play you’ll be taken into a world, first in wide sweeping arcs and then in stepped-up scenes where the video asks a simple question: who is watching whom?

John's World: 1986 video 1 from the original Advisory Hour post.

More from JW is arriving soon.

I’m working towards an evolution of this system that will dazzle. I’ll be posting about it in a couple days from now. See, the new universe will be taking advantage of the capabilities of this setup to see how it might apply in a different art style and time/place. So far I’ve shown two different time periods work. What about a third?

And what I’ve seen suggests it’s quite possible.

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