GLITCH STATEMENT

Since definition negatively connotes “glitch” as malfunction, it’s easy to think it an unfriendly derailment...

In 2017, I dragged a .jpeg into Photoshop. It turned to glitch — a completely pixelated, unrecognizable image — presumably because I had too many files open on an old computer. This continued. I was frustrated but eventually endeared by these willful abstractions. ⌘shift4, a screenshot snapped, a file saved.

During the pandemic, I returned to my folder of glitches, augmenting the originals by repeating a series of functions: spiking, smoothing, twirling, recoloring, and generally disrupting — as they once did to me.

Most recently, a trip to Georgia O’Keeffe’s home and studio inspired imagery resembling shells, flowers, butterflies, nipples, hair, and various happenings along the way. Through seemingly synesthetic associations between color, energy, and personality, I now pair glitches with titles embodying women antagonist/antihero characters in media to call attention to the glitchiest sides of ourselves.

Seasonal glitches is a cyberfeminist series about the conflation of natural and digital environments and our experiences of time, truth, and perception through the veils of a screen.

Inspired by Legacy Russell, Maggie Nelson, Zadie Smith, Jia Tolentino, Joanne McNeil, & bell hooks ♡