Home Exhibitions Jason and the Adventure of 254

Jason and the Adventure of 254 visual story

Information to help you plan and prepare for your visit to the exhibition.

Video visual story

Exhibition Visual Story 

Jason Wilsher-Mills tells stories about: how he was very ill when he was a child, his family life and how he became an artist.

Visiting Wellcome Collection

You do not have to pay to visit the exhibition. You do not need to book a ticket. Just turn up.

You can get to every floor in the building by the stairs or the lifts

The Exhibition

The exhibition is at Wellcome Collection in Gallery 2 on level 1.

Audio Described guides are on touch button devices.

British Sign Language and Audio Described guides are available by scanning the QR codes.

You can also pick up a Large Print Guide, Visual Story or Gallery Guide.

You can touch all the artworks in the exhibition gently.

There are 10 dioramas that light up when you press a button.

‘The 254 Wall of Facts’ is a timeline of when Jason was in hospital as a child

‘Figure in the Bed’ shows Jason when he was in hospital for a year. 

You can press a button light up parts of the body.

There is a lobby outside the exhibition where you can look at some of Jason’s sketchbooks and watch a short film about Jason

Accessible Toilets

There are accessible toilets on all floors of the building.

For the nearest toilets to the exhibition leave the doors at the end of the gallery and turn right

If you have any questions, contact the Visitor Experience team: +44(0)20 7611 2222 or info@wellcomecollection.org

Easy read visual story

Introduction to Jason and the Adventure of 254

Photograph of the exhibition 'Jason and the Adventure of 254' showing artworks and sculptures in the gallery space and on the walls.

‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ is an exhibition by an artist called Jason Wilsher-Mills.

An exhibition is a collection of things to look at and learn about.

The imposing white edifice of a neoclassical 1930s building. Wellcome Collection building, Euston Road, London, UK.
Source: Wellcome Collection. © Wellcome Collection.

The exhibition is at Wellcome Collection.

Photograph of level 1 of Wellcome Collection. The entrance to Gallery 2 is on this level.

The exhibition is in Gallery 2 on level 1 of our building.

Calendar showing the date March 21.

The exhibition starts on Thursday 21 March 2024.

Calendar showing the date January 12.

The exhibition finishes on Sunday 12 January 2025.

A pound sign that is crossed out.

You do not have to pay to visit the exhibition.

Two tickets that are crossed out.

You do not need to book a ticket. Just turn up.

Visiting Wellcome Collection

For more information about:

  • opening times
  • accessibility
  • travel

click on this link: Visiting Wellcome Collection visual story.

About the exhibition

Photographic portrait of Jason Wilsher-Mills in front of one of his artworks.
Jason Wilsher-Mills, Benjamin Gilbert. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ is an exhibition by an artist called Jason Wilsher-Mills.

Jason makes art that tells stories about his life.

He tells stories about:

  • how he was very ill when he was a child
  • his family life
  • how he became an artist.
Photograph of the Gallery 2 entrance on level 1.

The exhibition is in Gallery 2 on level 1.

Photograph of people watching a video in the lobby area outside the entrance to Gallery 2.

A part of the exhibition is in the lobby.

The lobby is an area outside Gallery 2 on level 1.

What is on display

There are 15 different artworks in the exhibition. These include:

Photograph of two people touching a group of sculptures in the exhibition.

Sculptures

Photograph of a person looking into a box with a glass front. The box contains a diorama.

Dioramas. Dioramas are drawings in boxes that light up.

Photograph of two people standing in front of a wall. The wall has brightly coloured wallpaper with drawings and words on it.

Wallpaper that has words and pictures on it.

Sensory information

Photograph of a person touching a large sculpture in the exhibition.

You can touch all of the artworks.

Photograph of a person pushing the button on the front of a display box with a glass front. The box contains a diorama.

The dioramas have low lighting.

When you push the coloured button on the front, more lights come on.

The film in the lobby plays on headphones.

Icon for no eating or drinking.
Breastfeeding icon.

You cannot eat or drink in the exhibition.

But you can breastfeed or bottle-feed babies.

Photo of two people talking to each other in an exhibition gallery; a third person is taking a picture of an exhibit with their phone.

People sometimes speak quietly at an exhibition. But you do not have to speak quietly.

Photo of the exhibition ‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ showing a sculpture of a “toy soldier” holding a model virus. Behind the sculpture are more artworks and sculptures in the exhibition gallery.

‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’ is about:

  • how Jason Wilsher-Mills was very ill when he was a child
  • his family life
  • how he became an artist.
A map of Gallery 2 in Wellcome Collection.

A map of Gallery 2 and the lobby.

Photograph of the large sculpture called 'Calliper Boots' by Jason Wilsher-Mills.

Calliper Boots

This sculpture is about the kind of boots Jason had to wear when he was ill.

Jason did not like wearing the calliper boots. So he decorated this sculpture to make the boots beautiful.

You can touch the boots.

Photograph of two people looking at the giant sculpture of Jason lyng in a hospital bed.

Figure in the Bed

This shows Jason when he was in hospital for a year.

When he was in hospital, Jason’s body was paralysed from his neck down. Paralysed means he could not move.

You can press a button which lights up parts of Jason’s body.

You can touch the sculpture.

Photo of the sculpture ‘Seb Coe’ by Jason Willsher Mills. The sculpture is of an athlete running in a race but instead of a head, the figure has a TV set showing the other runners in the race.

Seb Coe

This is a sculpture of Seb Coe. He is a British runner.

Instead of a head, the sculpture has a TV screen, which shows a famous race that Seb won. Jason watched this race when he was in hospital.

Photograph of a diorama called ‘Uncle Jimmy and the Ferret’. The diorama shows a man talking to a ferret. The ferret is standing on its back legs so that it is the same size as him.

Uncle Jimmy Kissing the Ferret

In this diorama, you can see Jason’s Uncle Jimmy.

Uncle Jimmy is about to kiss his pet ferret.

You can press the button to light it up.

Photograph of a diorama called ‘Mum the Mermaid’. A mermaid is swimming with fish and jellyfish under water and she is pointing up with one arm and pointing down with the other arm.

Mum as a Mermaid

In this diorama, you can see Jason’s mum. Jason has imagined his mum as a mermaid swimming in the sea.

You can press the button to light it up.

A long wall covered in brightly coloured wallpaper. The wallpaper shows drawings of fantastic figures and writing about the year 1980.

The 254 Wall of Facts

The drawings and words on the wallpaper tell the story of when Jason was in hospital as a child.

What is in the exhibition lobby

Photograph of two people looking at a large sketchbook on a table. There is a video playing on a screen behind them.

In the lobby area outside the exhibition you can:

  • watch a short film about Jason
  • look at some of Jason’s sketchbooks
  • touch the sketchbooks.

Exhibition accessibility

Photograph of accessibility guides available for use in the exhibition.

You can find accessible guides at the start of the exhibition.

The guides are:

Front cover of the gallery guide for the exhibition ‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’.

Gallery guide with words and pictures.

Front cover of the large-print guide for the exhibition ‘Jason and the Adventure of 254’.

Large-print guide.

Icons for BSL and audio-described.

Digital guides

There are two digital guides that you can use:

  • An audio-described guide to hear what eight artworks in the exhibition look like.
  • A British Sign Language guide of videos for people who use BSL.

The digital guides are on our website.

Photograph of a sign that shows the stop number 1 and the QR code for that stop in the digital guides.

There are ten stops in the digital guides.

There is a number and a QR code next to each stop in the exhibition. You can scan the QR codes with your phone to get the digital guides.

To scan a QR code:

  • open the camera on your phone
  • point it at the QR code
  • click on the link that appears.

If you do not know how to scan a QR code, we can help you.

Photo of a white line on the floor to guide you round the stops on the digital guide.

There is a white line on the exhibition floor. Follow the white line to get to each stop.

The white line has a pattern that you can feel with your feet.

Icon for British Sign Language.

If you want to watch the BSL guide on your phone or other device, you can:

Photo of a person scanning a QR code into their phone to use the digital guide.
  • scan the QR code with your phone camera
  • choose ‘Watch British Sign Language videos’.
Icon for audio-described.

If you want to listen to the audio-described guide on your phone or other device, you can:

Photo of a person selecting the audio file for stop 4 on the digital guide.
  • scan the QR code with your phone camera
  • choose ‘Listen to audio’.
Photo of a touch-button handset to hear the audio-described digital guide.

Or you can listen to the audio-described guide by:

  • picking up a touch-button handset in the exhibition
  • pressing the number of the audio stop.
Icon for wifi available.

You can use our WiFi for free. To do this you need to:

  • turn your phone’s WiFi on
  • choose Wellcome WiFi
  • tick a box to accept our terms and conditions
  • choose ‘connect’.
A young man and a young woman wearing tops with Wellcome Collection logos to show they are staff.
Visitor Experience Assistants. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).

If you need help with the digital guides, you can ask a member of gallery staff.

Relaxed Openings

Photo of a person at a relaxed opening of the exhibition.

If you need additional support to enjoy this exhibition, join us for a Relaxed Opening. At a Relaxed Opening there will be:

  • fewer visitors
  • extra gallery staff to help you.
Photo of a person looking at equipment available in a Relaxed Opening of the exhibition.

At a Relaxed Opening you can use:

  • cushions
  • ear defenders
  • tinted glasses
  • tinted visors
  • weighted lap pads.
People sitting and lying in the chill-out space at the relaxed opening.

At a Relaxed Opening there will be a Chill-Out Room. The Chill-Out Room has:

  • low lighting
  • soft seats
  • sensory and fidget toys.
A pound sign that is crossed out.
Icon for booking required.

There will be 5 Relaxed Openings during the exhibition.

  • Relaxed Openings are free.
  • You need to book a ticket.

The first relaxed opening is on 9 May.

You can find out all the Relaxed Opening dates and times, and book your free tickets by clicking on this link.