After attending the closing reception for Glitch Studies, I remembered why galleryHOMELAND is one of the more forward-thinking contemporary art venues in Portland! For the past three shows galleryHOMELAND has collaborated with the organization Research Club to form the Body of Knowledge series. Vision was the first show that Research Club curated, followed by the critically well-received Reading. Writing. Glitch Studies was the grand finale and made for a fitting end to the trilogy.
I got to speak with Carl Diehl, the curator for the show, about his concept of “glitch”. He described “glitch” as an accidental moment of realization, created through an unforeseen malfunction that cannot be reproduced. A glitch has the ability to teach us something unexpected, and give us an eureka-esque moment of pure surprise. Purposefully re-creating a glitch is impossible because that takes away the element of wonder that made it so delicious in the first place!
After conducting a Google search on the subject, I discovered that “glitch studies” also refers to uncovering errors in video game programming. Yes folks, people actually do this, which was complete news to me! I guess the intention is to reach other worlds, or alter the game somehow, by finding mistakes in the program. There is even an entire center devoted to uncovering video game “glitches”.
The art exhibition Glitch Studies featured work from seven artists: Missy Canez, Sue C, Ryan T. Dunn, LoVid, Stephanie Simek + Robby Kraft, and Phillip Stearn. All the work shared a commonality in the realm of technology. Utilizing everything from video, light, sound, old T.V. clips, and two-dimensional representation, the artists drew different connections between humans and the electronic world in which we exist.
Many local and national artists presented short films during the closing reception. Oakland-based artist Sue C gave a live performance of her video-based work. Combining many different materials such as drawings, hand-made papers, watercolors, fabrics, photographs, and miniature lighting, Sue C created an abstract cinematic experience for the audience. She manipulated her materials while a video camera, suspended above her hands, captured all the movements. These actions were projected onto a wall in the space.
For this particular performance, Sue C came armed with a photograph from Occupy Oakland. She combined this image with many things, including a dress pattern used for sewing. Upon talking with Sue C after the performance, she described a desire for her work to create an experience of synesthesia for the viewer by causing odd, unexpected connections in the viewer’s brain. 
Many of Sue C’s more permanent video pieces were also included in the ongoing exhibition. She describes this work as an attempt to “emphasize the beauty of the banal street corner, public parking lot, forgotten winter beach, torn remnant of found photograph…and other half-forgotten, often –unnoticed, in-between spaces in (my) surroundings”.
She has collaborated with many incredibly talented musicians. For these particular pieces, the electronic music of German artist AGF (aka Antye Greie) was used. Image and sound combine together in a tantalizing, hypnotic mixture. The piece 99 Long Eyelands was my absolute favorite in the show.
(All photos courtesy of Research Club or Sue C, with exception of the last image.)
