The word “glitch” is thought to come from glitsh, Yiddish for “slippery place”, and from glitshn, meaning “to slide, or glide.” In the 1940s, radio broadcasters were using the term to refer to on-air blunders. Ten years later, it became part of the language of TV engineering, and, in 1962, was given a broader meaning by the US space programme. Today, in the digital age, it’s commonly employed in reference to computer faults and video game errors. Ireland-based Niall Staines (b. 1985) is an art director and digital creative turning serene coastlines into glitch-like scenes. Colours are smeared upwards; vertical stripes are dragged and pulled from natural panoramas. Crashing waves make way for bold lines of white and blue. Valleys transform into skies of kaleidoscopic green, pink and purple. Trees stretch infinitely skyward. The works make order out of chaos, gathering key information from organic landscapes and flattening them down to two dimensions.

niallstaines.com | @staines

Image Credits:
1. Niall Staines, Glisten. Image courtesy of the artist.
2. Niall Staines, Can’t See the Woods from the Trees. Image courtesy of the artist.
3. Niall Staines, Sunset. Image courtesy of the artist.
4. Niall Staines, Glendalough. Image courtesy of the artist. Original photograph by Maxi McDonnell.
5. Niall Staines, Accordion. Image courtesy of the artist.
6. Niall Staines, Lockdown Blend. Image courtesy of the artist.