The classic image of abstract expressionism
as the acting out of unconscious drives is
founded on a concept of an unconscious where
the bulk of the self, like an iceberg, lies
hidden under the water level, out of sight
and outside of control.
As a consequence of this metaphor, the
artist is send on a risky search into the
self, on a quest for hidden meaning, dark
secrets, and uncontrollable drives,
constantly trying to balance the edge of
madness.

The artistic ideal of this metaphor of the
unconscious is that getting in touch with
the hidden and suppressed drives, opens up
the possibility of a free expression that
is- the unrestricted analog flow of
sensations to the canvas.
Of course this is not possible because there
has to be a translation from one medium,
(the feeling or sensation), to the other
medium (brush/ paint) and inevitably
something gets lost in the process.
Paradoxically it is exactly this conflict
that gives the appealing dualistic energy to
a lot of expressionist material.


WordPad Glitch.

The WordPad Glitch occurs when an image
coded in one language (Unicode) is opened in
a program that uses another language with
lesser symbols (ASCII). This aberrant
decoding causes parts of the image to erupt
as an un-translated surplus resulting in a
chaotic and colorful mixture of the
translated image and the underlying grid of
the program.