Sky

Grundell’s detailed study of glitch art begins with a 1962 quote from the astronaut John Glenn: ‘A glitch is such a minute change in voltage that no fuse could protect against it’. A glitch occurring in a space shuttle could be catastrophic, an unprovoked error with life threatening consequences. With this simple observation, Glenn helped to popularise the concept of the glitch as an unseen flaw that only becomes visible when its fallout affects the functionality of a system. The digital revolution has since made the glitch, or more specifically the impact of the glitch, a more commonplace occurrence, such as those moments when a digital signal pixelates into an often beautiful abstraction or an interactive screen temporarily distorts before the familiar interface returns. The result of a glitch isn’t necessarily visual – as a creative concept it is closely associated with sonic effects – but when discussed as an aesthetic form, glitch art is usually found on a digital screen.