Response to Glitch Art

In glitch art the imperfection or mistake is deliberately created to obtain a derivative digital piece of art from another one. Per Nick Briz, glitch art is an intentional way of manipulating data to create something new. “Glitch art is not a medium, it is an approach… artifacts will change with time" (Briz). As an approach I view glitch art as an extension of a long tradition of innovation in the art world. In the past the tools were canvas, paint brushes, wood, pottery, fibers, etc. Be it the invention or discovery of the chiaroscuro technique in ancient Greece, perfected by Leonardo Da Vinci in the late 15th century, and adopted in woodcutting by Ugo da Carpi in the 16th century, be it the reinterpretation of reality in a cubist way, or creation of surreal worlds based on tangible objects, be it glitch art, all are innovative ways in their time to create art.

Embracing new techniques, embracing imperfection or deliberating introducing glitches in a piece is not a new practice. We can stretch the concept and say that Picasso reinterpreted the world using cubism, he created “analog” glitches”, Salvador Dalí created surreal worlds, far from the ideal of perfect objects. The Japanese art form of kintsugi embraces imperfection and produces beautiful objects from broken ones, the imperfection gives way to a new aesthetic. “Kintsugi is the Japanese art of putting broken pottery pieces back together with gold – built on the idea that embracing flaws and imperfections, you can create an even stronger, more beautiful piece of art.” (Ayuda).

The Navajo Nation is said to introduce an imperfect line in their weaving, what I would call an analog glitch. (Patowary) In the case of the Navajos the glitch is introduced for spiritual reasons, based on their beliefs.

In summary the tech tools of today are used like brushes and other tools to create art, except in the former case the medium is digital. Glitch art is an extension of a long line of novel approaches to art throughout history. Someday it will become like chiaroscuro, an old technique, but not necessarily obsolete.

References

Ayuda, Tiffany. “How the Japanese Art of Kintsugi Can Help You Deal with Stressful Situations.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 28 Apr. 2018, www.nbcnews.com/better/health/how-japanese-art-technique-kintsugi-can-help-you-be-more-ncna866471.

Patowary, Kaushik. “The Art of Deliberate Imperfection.” Amusing Planet, 4 Feb. 2018, www.amusingplanet.com/2017/08/the-art-of-deliberate-imperfection.html.