Technology consumes us all in today’s society. I am interested in the relationship we have with all digital technologies and as a Photographer I am intrigued in exploring the construction and deconstructing of digital image data, coding, pixels and the ‘glitches’ that can occur in our technological experiences. My collections explore the question: Is it the technology itself that is the cause of ‘the beautiful error’ or our own hand that forces the interruption?
Definition | Content | Process
We all want things to run smoothly, we turn on the radio, TV, log into social media and expect it all to be as we left it; crisp and clear HD images, surround sound playing our favourite music from all stations across the globe and a seamless feeds that allow us to visually hop across through the next generation of artists, creatives and innovators with one swipe.
I am fascinated with the complexity of a digital image and also the unpredictable nature of how an image can be altered either intentionally or via the simple product of an error; a glitch. These errors in technology are normally fleeting moments or ‘hiccups’ in transmission where screens freeze, break up the data, crackle the sound or fuzz out completely! We all find these errors a lot less tolerated and something that just shouldn’t happen in ‘today’s world’ as we continue to strive for perfection and instant, seamless results.
But have you ever questioned a ‘glitch’ or an ‘error’ in technological experiences? Is it really about too many people using a search engine at once or simply a bird sat on your roof satellite causing the interference? Yes, errors are rare and have a bad reputation but I find there is something aesthetically beautiful about their brief appearances. The beautiful error is a blatant display of lack of control but what it could symbolise is something very different; perhaps a viewpoint that technology is telling us to slow down and telling to realise the consequences of our capacity to be brainwashed with visual culture. My work therefore explores the unknown error in our ever growing saturation of images and visual interfaces.
My photographs are rewritten, deliberately corrupted and then played with some more through processes which stem from computer hardware, apps, operating systems and data coding. The results are unique and random and often give an appreciated aesthetic that encourage viewers to capture otherwise unnoticed details through pixels, colour and composition and clearly please those who are excited about technology itself. Whether or not you accept a glitch or an error in technology as an art form, glitches themselves are short-lived, unless captured and displayed and it’s my passion as an artist to do just that.
