Visual glitch
Installation. Resin and bioplastics.
Work in progress
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Most people have experienced visual phenomena called phosphenes at some point in their lives. These are flickering, starry lights, and even complex geometric patterns of colors that are perceived when closing or rubbing the eyes.
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They occur because our retina is always active, even in darkness, and continues to send signals to the brain, which misinterprets them as real light.
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During space travel, astronauts have reported perceiving them very intensely due to long periods of sensory deprivation. A visual similarity develops between what they see in the environment and what their body produces when isolated.
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The eyes do not distinguish between real external light and that produced by the optic nerve; it is the brain that deduces its origin. For this reason, as a process of sensory adaptation, adults tend to ignore phosphenes, but children observe them as something playful.
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This proposal aims to generate a conceptual connection between phosphenes and glitches, linking the term to the non-referential sensations caused by the functioning and anatomy of our body, in this case, by our eyes. We not only see what we look at but also visualize lights, geometries, and colors produced by our own physiology.
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The word "glitch" originates in the aerospace sector, specifically to describe some minor, difficult-to-describe errors in rockets.
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Later, the video game industry adopted the term to describe programming errors that appear on screen but do not affect the game's playability, continuity, or performance. Paradoxically, they are not perceived as something negative, but rather as an unexpected, playful experience that players seek to explore and experience, giving new depth to the game.
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The aim of the project is to explore the metaphorical and evocative potential of our senses, proposing a conscious visualization that connects us with our senses and that transforms them into the raw material for constructing a visual imagery of the phenomena that originate in the body.
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