What is the difference between glitch art and glitch aesthetic?

The distinction between glitch art and glitch aesthetic reflects an ongoing debate within the glitch community about authenticity, process, and intention.

Glitch art typically refers to work created through actual data corruption, hardware malfunction, or system exploitation. The artist initiates conditions for glitches to occur but doesn’t fully control the outcome. Authenticity lies in genuine interaction with technological failure -databending, circuit bending, codec manipulation.

Glitch aesthetic describes the visual style of glitches recreated through conventional means -Photoshop filters, After Effects plugins, or procedural generation that mimics corruption without actual data damage. The results may look identical to authentic glitches but involve complete artistic control.

Some purists argue that only true glitches count as glitch art, viewing aesthetic imitation as missing the point. Others consider this gatekeeping counterproductive -if the visual result communicates effectively, does process matter?

Practically, most working artists use both approaches. Authentic glitching produces unexpected results; controlled techniques achieve specific effects reliably. The hybrid approach -glitching an image, then refining in Photoshop -combines both philosophies. Understanding the distinction helps artists make intentional choices about their practice and communicate meaningfully about their work.