Glitch Art Explores The Disruptions In My Relationship With Technology

Glitch art explores intentional and accidental visual disruptions in my relationship with computer technology and my life as a whole.

Colorful Data Glitch Art by Matthew T Rader

I’ve always been a fan of glitch art and dabble in it myself sometimes. Here are a few pieces of disrupted digital art I have made and captured recently.

This type of art fascinates me because it’s generally purposeful destruction of a coherent image rendering it incoherent but visually and intellectually interesting. It represents rebellion against the obsessive need to have everything online so neat and well designed. The digitally shattered images can represent our repressed anger at the pervasiveness of technology we are incapable of truly escaping.

It also represents disruptions in our relationships with technology. These glitches were not supposed to happen. Yet they did happen. When they happen they prevent us from accomplishing our tasks. It’s subversive like that. It’s disruption, a barrier, it’s chaos, it’s also very aesthetically and visually interesting.

MacOS Glitches

The image above and below are screenshots of my Mac desktop with MS Excel. For some reason, it starts glitching and it created these very colorful boxes. The various layers of color and shapes made these really interesting.

MacOS Glitches

Facebook Glitch

One time while I was using Facebook this suddenly happened. It immediately intrigued me. It isolated a lot of contextual information. We see two photos someone shared and some images from ads to the right of them. They seem funny, meaningless, and misplaced. Which true of a lot of stuff posted on Facebook. The menu on the left reminds us it is Facebook.

Facebook Glitch Art by Matthew T Rader

Static Noise Glitch Art

Gray Glitch Art by Matthew T Rader

Intentional Glitch Art

I made the following glitches myself. I overlaid historical photos for people on top of photos I have taken and caused them to glitch. The fading faces of people give an eerie feel to the images. They also remind us that behind all those buildings are institutions they created in the past.

Distorted and faded face over Dallas

distorted and faded face over Dallas
distorted and faded face over Dallas

The past is an oppressor of justice

Justice is oppressed by the past
Justice is oppressed by the past


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