glitch tapestries

glitch collages 1

pixel pushing

vapourwave

80s aesthetic

the human element: glitch collages 2

the zine scene

webgl and 3-d rendering

glitch video content

link list

interview

!!

table of contents

H I G H T E C H , L O W L I F E

A catalogue of glitch art works produced from summer 2014 through spring 2015

by zoe ck meeDer (effluviah) university of westminster mivc501

full portfolio can be accessed at effluviah.tumblr.com

SELECT ILLUSTRATIONS:

SOFTWARE USED INCLUDES GOLDMOSH, AUDACITY,

PHOTOSHOP CS6, AFTER EFFECTS CS6, ATOM TEXT

EDITOR, PROCESSOR, AND VARIOUS FORKED GITHUB

RESOURCES, AS WELL AS MY OWN CODE DEVELOPED

THROUGH REFINING MY OWN TECHNIQUE FOR IMAGE

GENERATION, EXPERIMENTATION, AND FINALISATION.

process and progression are noted with each set.

!METHOD:

A SUMMARY OF MY DEVELOPMENT OF MY PERSONAL

AESTHETIC DIGITAL ART STYLE (HIGH TECH LOW LIFE)

PROVIDED FOR EACH GENERAL STYLE/THEME OF GLITCHING

THAT FEATURES IN MY WORK.

EXAMPLES OF VARIANTS AND PROCESS ARE ALSO

PROVIDED.

VIDEO/AUDIO:

VARIOUS VIDEO/AUDIO EXPERIMENTS BASED ON MY GLITCH ART AND

FURTHER EXPERIMENTATION/IDEA GENERATION BRANCHING FROM my

increasing experience with coding and software usage.

an example mixed media GLITCHED IMAGE.

A TEST OF AN EARLY VERSION OF ONE OF MY GLITCH METHODS

stillS from -virus 001-

GLITCH TAPESTRIES

initially experimental tests in geometric design and

basic image breaking; developed into textiles concept

as the digital shutter effect reminded me of rows of

incomplete threading on loom-made rugs and fabrics.

these were made by drawing geometric designs in

photoshop cs6 with a touchpad, then saving as a png and

opening the image raw text code to create random but

somewhat controlled glitches.

I then moved on to opening image files as raw data in

audio editing software (particularly audacity), where I

then edited the image code by layering effects to it in

audacity as though it were music in the wav form window

and then editing/looping wav form sections, then

exporting again as an image file, and seeing what

happened.

These are both techniques that persist throughout my

work, as results vary wildly and are both random and

able to be controlled.

Glitch Collages 1

This was the beginning of my mixed-media experimentation. I used photos and composed basic digital

collages in photoshop cs6, then by glitching both individual components of the collage and multiple

copies/editions of the entire composition, i would restructure and constantly update the collage

and re-glitch the whole image as it progressed to reach an image result that was based in both code

alteration and surface level aesthetic glitching.

PIXEL PUSHING

To get into more recent pieces (a more clear technique

and aesthetic progression is trackable on my full

portfolio, effluviah.tumblr.com) i began to experiment

wildly with different methods of glitching an image.

featured here is pixel pushing, where pixels are

clustered and manipulated in an image to produce

interesting drag-style effects.

i composed the pieces with custom brushes in photoshop

cs6, then using an html-based code manipulator with a

visual interface (surface level glitching as opposed to

raw code glitching) i created these two test pieces.

to the right: waterfall / below: dna

VAPOURWAVE

Vapourwave is a subset of glitch art where

surface level glitching (not entirely code based)

is designed to give the appearance of outdated or

broken interfacing or display.

this is more multi media collage experimentation,

as the image of the girl is a paper collage i

made from 80s fashion magazines (an idea i would

revisit later) then scanned in and compiled into

a digital collage using a screenshot of a

netscape browser (browser windows as frames being

a common element in vapourwaVe STYLE GLITCH ART

AS PART OF THE OLD TECH AESTHETIC) AND THEN

ADDING TEXT and outdated effects IN PHOTOSHOP CS6

ALONG MY PERSONAL COMMON THEMES OF CODE WORK

(HERE THE CODE IS AESTHETIC AS WELL TO PLAY ON

HOW MY USUAL PIECES ARE MADE) AND HIGH TECH LOW

LIFE STYLE.

i used a young girl as the feature of the image,

because while the style is based in an old and

outdated computer experience, none of these

things are particularly old by human timeline

standards, even if they are ancient in terms of

software and hardware development. i remember

using a desktop from birth, helping customise a

desktop at age three, so the young girl and

memory theme is a play on me and my life

alongside technology.

to the RIGHT: MEMORY

80s aesthetic

The interest in technology and cyberpunk subculture that was prevalent across media throughout the

1980s, particularly in the Usa and uk, is a huge part of my personal style in terms of influence and

inspiration. a large portion of my more recent works highlight this personal interest, and with these

pieces, i use outdated digital image production and editing techniques as well as old hardware and

software editions to produce works as faithful as possible to the tech of the time as well as the

aesthetic. I then decide whether or not to leave it as it is, or create glitch variants as well.

Common elements of early digital/80s/Memphis style art are geometric shapes, brush

strokes, shape depth and distance via drop shadow, outline, or outer glow, perspective

grids, airbrushing, superficial cathode monitor image display effect or glitching,

offset colours, and specific colour palettes- All of which compliment glitch style. The

use of older tech can be key in achieving certain looks: i made the above image in ms

paint on a computer booted with windows 95 with a mouse, then surface GLITCHED it.

I formerly studied fashion, and my interest in fashion

is rooted in an interest in people and the dissonance

between what a human is and how it chooses to present

itself and why. So in the majority of my art where

humans are depicted, it is usually recognisably derived

from those core concepts, regardless of what other

influences there may be in a certain work or project.

my fashion illustration is collage based or mixed

media, and i apply the same concepts here. i scan my

traditional collages and then alter them/pastiche them

in photoshop cs6 or ms paint (or whatever other

software is suitable) and then glitch the image and

repeat, with minor alterations in technique depending

on whether the image/idea in question is experimental

or suitable for certain methods or not.

when people are depicted in my glitch work, they are

fragmented, visually broken, altered, or warped in some

way. this can be as simple as cathode monitor display

lines over a face, an extreme zoom in of an eye or hand

(two body parts i tend to focus on when not depicting a

face or full body) or as shown here to the right, where

the human is stripped almost entirely bare to a

transparent degree, with the human body itself being

mostly only present in an almost negative image form.

the clothes are layered and glitched, giving the

feeling of a holographic presence. the identity is not

real, and the digital background is more solid than the

human presence in the image.

the human element:

glitch collages 2

THE ZINE SCENEAS ANOTHER CALLBACK TO OTHER ARTISTIC ENDEAVOURS AND INTERESTS, i have a glitch art zine called

high tech low life that is designed around 80s/90s zine culture and cyberpunk/tech culture of the

80s/90s in general. a photocopier style zine, it is available at issuu.com/effluviah for download.

WEBGL AND 3-D RENDERING

Using the three.js library and my own experimental

webgl coding, as well as textures made by generating

base images and altering them at the code or surface

level, I created 3-d objects in in-browser code based

rendering software with the intent to eventually make a

fully animated video.

however, as certain limitations applied, the video is

still a work in progress, but i believe the progress

itself is art, as it shows the creation of art through

mathematics and code development as well as somewhat

more traditional image creation methods in the form of

glitch art being used as textures for the webgl

objects.

this kind of animation is only one of many applications

for glitch art in general, so it also serves to show

the potential in what i do. nothing is simple or

isolated; there is no direction, only organic

evolution, perhaps ironically.

Multiple forms of media are crucial to

both original conceptual use of

computers and to modern in-practice

applications of computers and most

technology. Visualisations and

fictional depictions of interfacing

with the web, and the idea of

developing technology to the degree

that humanity becomes mechanical or

machines obtain humanity, in any number

of ways (many of which are in real life

still theoretically plausible)

encouraged me to explore the human

element of visual engagement with other

people through the medium of a monitor.

Like with my images, we are seeing not

with our eyes, but with the eyes of the

computer as it reviews raw media data,

and that reality is emphasised as being

both virtual and human based.

the new core of all media, hub of human memory,

the eyes of the world, the soul of potential.

G L I T C H V I D E O C O N T E N T

A synopsis of each video, with stills/audio cover image.

each video is Viewable in full at www.effluviah.tk or via bitly links below.

Videos are listed in order of release.

VAST AND INFINITE: HTTP://BIT.LY/VASTANDINFINITE

Audio recorded on a vintage sony dictaphone, THEN ALTERED IN

AUDACITY. THE VISUALS ARE FROM A HACKED WEBCAM, WITH IN-

BROWSER FLASH ALTERATIONS AND RECORDED ON SCREEN VIA OBS

SOFTWARE. THE TITLE QUOTE (TEST DIALOGUE) COMES FROM GHOST IN

THE SHELL BY SHIROW MASAMUNE, A MANGA AND ANIME SERIES AS

WELL AS FILMS WHICH ARE CONSIDERED CYBERPUNK CLASSICS.

GLITCH AUDIO TEST: HTTP://BIT.LY/AUDIOTEST1

TESTING VOCAL EFFECTS INSPIRED BY 2001: A SPACE ODESSY AND

DAVID LYNCH’S TWIN PEAKS. ALTERNATE AUDIO FILES FOR MULTIPLE

TAKES AND TESTS ARE AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST, BUT MULTIPLE

VIDEOS/TAKES COULD NOT BE UPLOADED DUE TO TIME CONSTRAINTS.

VIRUS OO1: HTTP://BIT.LY/VIRUS001

DESCRIPTION IN THE VIDEO ALLUDES TO HARLAN ELLISON’S I HAVE

NO MOUTH AND I MUST SCREAM, WHICH IS ANOTHER CYBERPUNK/

DYSTOPIAN CLASSIC. DONE WITH IPHONE 4S, SONY DICTAPHONE, AND

AFTER EFFECTS CS6.THIS IS A FRONT-END DATAMOSH VIDEO, DUE TO

TIME CONSTRAINTS. THE THEME OF THE VIDEO IS THAT A SENTIENT

CONSCIOUSNESS HAS FORMED IN A LAPTOP, AND THE WEBCAM SELF-

ACTIVATES AND BEGINS TO OBSERVE THINGS AND PEOPLE AROUND IT.

best viewed with lights off and headphones on while alone.

the ether of the net. a face emerges!

the image for the audio test is a surface GLITCHED

IMAGE OF MY WORKSPACE.

HELLO. GOOD MORNING. the bug

LINK LISTINGGlitch art portfolio: effluviah.tumblr.com youtube channel: www.effluviah.tk

twitter: @effluviah email: effluviah@gmail.com issuu: issuu.com/effluviah

!

!interview

I was interviewed regarding my glitch art by asexualartists.tumblr.com; The direct link to my

interview is here: http://asexualartists.tumblr.com/post/116490332857/interview-ck

Zoe CK Meeder 2014-2015