Antonio Roberts

A glitch is a short-lived moment in a the life of a computer. It happens in an instant and disappears just as quickly. Each time I encounter a glitch I understand my computer more. My curiosity leads me to delve into the inner workings of the computer. I learn what the hands of programmers have instructed the computer to do and discover their successes, their failures and the potential opportunities. In the dark depths of the computer there is a constant battle between the code.

As soon as I was introduced to glitch art in May 2009 I was instantly inspired. Since then I have strived to explore the technique and how it can affect my artwork. For me glitch art is about exploring the boundaries in which things will operate as expected. Computers are very complex and can take years to understand; the combined efforts of thousands of people, contributing millions of hours, coupled with the unpredictable calculations computers make internally, are far too much for one person to understand. Computers are also very obedient; they will do what you tell them to but you have to tell them in a language they understand.

For example, it is assumed that if you double-click an image file it will open in an image viewer or editor. This is because the header data is describing what kind of file it is. When you double-click it an instruction is sent to open the specific file with the appropriate program. But then, what if we fooled the computer into thinking it is opening one type of file, when in fact it is another? For example, what if we added the header data of an image file to an mp3 file and then tried to edit it in an image editor? The output usually results in a greater understanding of how computers work, presented in a burst of colourful pixels and noise. While we may perceive the output as an error and instantly discard it, the computer is not as judgemental. It is devoid of emotion and doesn’t question actions, and so will happily do this with any data that it has been instructed to interpret.

Why would one want to do all of this? Think of the computer as a world of its own, or the human body. There is a relationship between the underlying code and hardware. Each part relies on each other for it to operate successfully. Should one part become damaged it can sometimes be fatal, but often the overall ability to operate is hampered. How much strain can I put this digital relationship through before it either breaks an individual part or the whole computer? At what point will you reach the limits?

More importantly, what can be discovered by doing all of this? New, hidden abilities that we didn’t know our computers had, improved performance, increased knowledge of how things work, a new form of art, or something else? That is what I want to find out.