What is video feedback?

Video feedback occurs when a camera films its own output display, creating an infinite recursive loop. The effect produces mesmerizing fractal-like patterns, spiraling tunnels, and organic-looking visual chaos that responds dynamically to camera movement and environmental changes.

The basic setup requires pointing a video camera at a monitor displaying the camera’s live feed. Small adjustments in angle, zoom, distance, and monitor settings dramatically affect the resulting patterns. Rotating the camera creates spiral effects; zooming produces tunnel-like depth.

Video feedback was pioneered in the 1960s by artists like Nam June Paik and remains relevant in live visual performance, music videos, and experimental art. Modern practitioners combine analog video feedback with digital processing for hybrid effects.

The technique produces genuinely generative imagery -each session yields unique results impossible to precisely replicate. Learn setup techniques and creative applications in our video feedback tutorial.