Artist Spotlight: Adam Ferriss
If you’ve ever read an article about technology, chances are you’ve come across the work of computer artist Adam Ferriss. His glitchy pixel paintings have appeared on The New York Times, The Guardian, The New Yorker, Vice, and Wired.
Ferriss uses processing and other creative coding frameworks to generate his algorithmic artworks. Often, they are the result of subjecting images he finds on NASA or Getty to an array of digital mutations. Other times, his works are entirely products of software.
Here are some of his most strangely beautiful creations.
“I first got introduced to code through processing. I was a photographer so I tried to do it initially as an alternative to Photoshop. I felt like there was unlimited potential and possibilities outside the realm of pre-written software.”
“I usually source my images for databases like Hovel or NASA. These days though, I’m just taking videos on my phone as I run around the city.”
“I’ll send a sample image through the code for processing to get a feel for the general style. When I find one that I like, I’ll do the same with images of my own.”
“It depends on how much control you want to relinquish.”
"Sometimes, it’s a process of setting up a system of rules and initial conditions and then just kind of hitting ‘go’ and watching it run— a live simulation where pixels grow and live and die.”
“Other times, it’s a much more interactive approach where the user has much more agency in the project than the algorithm.”
“I’m fascinated by the infinitely iterative process of algorithms and the infinite variations that are possible within the confines of its own aesthetic system.”
All images courtesy of the artist.