Soft Error
45 x 34 cm, 3d printed NN Matterial, pocket size cosmic-ray Nuon detector
This work is a follow-up to Gazing Bitflips, an earlier work in which Nuyten researched cosmic rays that cause digital errors. These rays can strike the Earth’s atmosphere, creating cascades of subatomic particles including energetic neutrons, muons, and pions, beating your screen to create a bitflip, and manifesting in a glitchy phone. In collaboration with Omlab, Nuyten developed NN-Matterial, a biodegradable substance made from recycled paper data, which she uses to 3D-print Soft Errors. These works capture unpredictable moments when cosmic phenomena quietly disrupt digital systems.
Drawing inspiration from the Zero movement, the minimalist reliefs trace the subtle effects of the cosmos on our screens. Here, system breakdowns are not simply failures but become spaces of possibility - bitflips serve as gentle reminders of our entanglement with both the planet and the cosmos. The resulting image can be seen as a frozen image of Nuyten’s favorite game, Snake.
Courtesy: Upstream Gallery Amsterdam
Photo: Gert-Jan van Rooij
Private collections
Made possible with the generous support of:
