WHILE I WORK OUT THE GLITCHES...

WHILE I WORK OUT THE GLITCHES… is a collection of 10 data-bent digital collages (featuring free stock images – the cheesy kind) that were created during my 2021 residency at Bubblegum Gallery. These were initially to be included in the PHANTOM (2021) exhibition but were not. Glitch is an Internet Art subculture that is characterized by “glitch” aesthetics, politics, and innovation. Glitch art makes use of a process called data bending (or data-moshing). This is the manipulation of media or software done by editing or running files of a specific format, using software designed to edit or run files of a different format. The result of the manipulation, when done to digital images, is unpredictable visual distortion, or “glitching”. My appreciation for glitch art is process-based, as a tool for political or technological commentary. WHILE I WORK OUT THE GLITCHES… was created to enhance PHANTOM’s present-day references and depictions of mental or emotional malfunction and “error”. This representation offers PHANTOM’s overall message in a way that is more visually relevant for its largely Generation Z and Millennial audience. The glitched collage compositions contain honest and idiosyncratic phrases related to substance abuse, mental health/illness, and social media.

More of PHANTOM can be viewed here: https://alutas-theory.itch.io/phantom-2021

Aluta Null (they/she) is a digital artist and game developer based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Aluta works in a variety of mediums including XR and games to create work that tackles topics surrounding technology, politics, perception, and pop culture. Aluta Null not only spotlights what many consider mundane, but also seeks to break the rules of technology while meditating on what art means, what the digital is, and what their fusion can be.
More information on Aluta Null may be browsed via their LinkTree at this link: https://linktr.ee/alutas_theory