Piecing Together Glitching Thoughts of the Collective Mind

Clayton Campbell is pleased to present his new series of digital art works, Trance of Thought, available as a 130-page online publication with an essay by Cansu Peker, founder of Digital Arts Blog.

Is this a dream, or a memory? Perhaps dreams of lost ancestors, or memories of unborn kin. Perhaps both.

I met Clayton Campbell serendipitously, soon after his decision to get back to being public with his art following several years of an introverted focus on creating. His introspective period coincided with a mandatory hiatus for all of us, and our collective memories of the pandemic found a place in his personal explorations. The result is a collection of shared narratives from the glitching mind.

Glitch aesthetics are reminiscent of digital distortions and technological imperfections, and serve as a metaphor for the inherent errors of the human mind. Campbell started working with corrupted jpeg files back in 2006 – there wasn't any software designed for it, and the aesthetics didn't have a name.

Yet, digital distortions that we today call glitching has been the perfect medium for Campbell to express how the human brain processes the non-stop flow of fragmented images. Glitching mirrors the unpredictability and spontaneity of the human mind. It allows for a more unconstrained expression, without specific outcomes in mind. It’s the perfect artistic response to the disjointed ideas, judgements, and narratives that the brain relentlessly spins out. 

Campbell’s art evokes ideas around the fragility of memory, the vulnerability of perception, and the beauty that emerges from embracing imperfections, and celebrates the flaws that make us inherently human.

Treasure Room by Clayton Campbell

At first glance, Treasure Room resembles a kaleidoscope – one that offers a glimpse into one’s glitching mind. Campbell juxtaposes contradicting angles of perception by overlaying images from the exterior and interior of a Baroque chapel. The viewer sees the structure in all its grandness from above while simultaneously looking up to the saintly figures that cover the ceiling and the walls of the chapel. The work manipulates glitch aesthetics into reflecting a sense of vulnerability, aspiration, and hope, alongside a god-like perspective of overseeing everything below. The visual contradiction suggests that both perspectives are essential for a complete understanding of life – as within, so without. 

An insightful interpreter of the human condition, Campbell translates the chaos and beauty of one’s mind into a visual language that resonates on a collective level. By recontextualizing simple moments of everyday life as well as pivotal stages in epic scenarios, Campbell ponders on the behavior of ordinary people who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances.

Campbell’s trance of thought, which gives the series its name, finds expression in his art that turns his deeply personal meditative sessions into a contemplative space for the viewers. The viewers are invited to witness their surroundings and circumstances, and their part in it. Furthermore, Campbell doesn’t shy away from overtly depicting his contemplation of his own place in tumultuous times – Navigating the 8th Circle of Hell is a self-reflective piece that depicts a chaotic moment with the artist, taking a mirror selfie, in the midst of the mayhem. 

Navigating the 8th Circle of Hell by Clayton Campbell

Navigating through the labyrinth of memories, Campbell reflects on narratives of personal assumptions with collective echoes. Much like the way our brains piece together disjointed memories to form a cohesive understanding of the world, Campbell’s art channels the raw and unpredictable nature of collage to depict the dance between chaos and order that we call life.

Campbell explores one's own mind through the concept of collective memory, for they are often intertwined. Through the artist's lens, the pandemic becomes a crucible for exploring the intricacies of the human psyche, not only because it has been a period of forced introspection, but also because the collective experience of navigating through unprecedented challenges has left an indelible mark on the collective memory of society.

Campbell’s incorporation of collective memory into the creative process extends beyond one’s own reservoir of memories to the elements of shared cultural beliefs, adding an extra layer of complexity to the narrative woven into each piece. 

A Storytelling depicts two women sharing a private matriarchal moment of intimacy in a sacred temple-like space – the elder is passing on knowledge and wisdom of the great feminine spirituality to the younger through her storytelling. The circular roof is open to the sky, connoting a path and access towards the transcendent realm and divine mysteries from our tangible reality. It’s a mirror image, hinting that the stories will be echoed to future generations, and the transmission of knowledge and wisdom will continue.

The work is a beautiful narrative representation of an exchange of collective memories. It’s not only about the events and moments society experiences together, but everything we pass on to generations to come – much the way Campbell’s work conveys cultural learnings through visual representations, weaving our collective story.

A Storytelling by Clayton Campbell

Just like reading an intimate passage from a dream journal, or picking up lost pieces of a distant conversation, Campbell’s viewers find themselves not only immersed in a visual narrative, but also actively participating in the exploration of the mind while contemplating their place and role in this world.

Is this a dream, or a memory? Perhaps dreams of lost ancestors, or memories of unborn kin. Probably both.

Cansu Peker
March 2024
New York

Get your copy of Trans of Thought here.

Read our interview with Clayton Campbell to learn more about his art, creative process, and inspirations.