Searching for Digital Aesthetics’ ‘Unknown Unknowns’
Panel

Bitcrush, tessellate, glitch — it seems like new digital aesthetics go from ‘fresh’ to commodified in a matter of months. Some artists get imitated, the techniques of others are emulated as plug-ins or presets in commercial software; ornate aesthetics blossom, then wither. Within the wide spectrum of ‘what is possible’, how do artists find new terrains for investigation and how do they know when they’ve found a ripe spot that warrants cultivation? More importantly, how do they know when it is time to move on?