Bring Out the GNU Image Manipulation Program (Issue #11)

An interview with artist bleu281

(“Never sleep engine,” bleu281 image) (Click here for the animation)

DD: Please introduce yourself.

bleu281: My name is bleu281. I’m a digital artist from Germany. I’m 22 years old. And I create weird graphics in GIMP.

DD: What art have you been working on lately?

bleu281: I have found a lot of joy in repurposing old files and images to create something new. Besides, lots of collaboration with the likes of Anarrator and Mickrenders.

DD: Can you describe your workspace and how it influences your art?

bleu281: The digital and analog are both messy. I create art that I can escape into away from my messy workplace.

DD: How do you approach developing an idea into a finished piece? Can you walk us through your workflow?

bleu281: When working towards an idea, I use my usual graphic tools and create within those limitations, which helps me with the overwhelming number of possible ways to depict a certain thing. When I am limited to squares, gray tones, and some patterns, I need to get creative to depict what I want to show.

Most of the time, my workflow is inverted, so I just create shapes and textures and continuously combine those until a result starts to form. I then interpret those results as concrete things such as rooms, interfaces, etc.

(“Acid Trail,” bleu281 image) (Click here for the animation)

DD: Can you describe a typical day in your artistic practice, including any rituals or habits?

bleu281: While creating, I drink mate-tea-soft drinks with the legal maximum allowed dosage of caffeine and listen to Joy Division or Oneohtrix Point Never.

I am the most creative when I've slept like absolute shit, so quite often it starts with waking up at 4 AM and then creating like crazy.

DD: Your profile says, “Exploring GIMP’s tools.” Can you expand on this statement? (And tell us what GIMP is for those who don’t know.)

bleu281: GNU Image Manipulation Program is an open-source, free-to-use Photoshop. It offers a wide variety of tools, ranging from the mundane to the weird. For example, the "Qbist" tool creates a random connection between colors and shapes and lets you mutate those connections. I have a set of tools I repeatedly use for my images, but I always enjoy weaving in new ones.

DD: There’s an old-school video game/RPG console vibe to many of your pieces – where is this coming from?

(“Door Closes,” bleu281 image)

bleu281: I grew up on the Nintendo DS, so no real nostalgia. I played some emulated retro games but nothing major. For me, it's like I am escaping to the past, not to a memory but rather the idea of something nostalgic in my mind. There also just seems to be such an obvious need for nostalgia in my generation, like we really wanna escape this reality of everything apparently. And then visit places we didn't even experience like the 80s and 90s. To answer this question, this vibe is coming from my urge to escape reality. (+ also Horrorsoft Games as a direct inspiration and reimagination.)

DD: What about your more abstract pieces? Can you talk about them?

(“Colorful Dreams,” bleu281 image)

bleu281: I like how everything doesn't make sense, but it kinda does once you acknowledge that. It looks like it is supposed to mean something while actually not meaning anything. This is what I notice in AI-generated works, and I like to incorporate that asemic nature within my own work. Also, the juxtaposition of simplicity (e.g. few colors, mostly shapes) and intricate patterns is what I like about my work. And I can fully rely on that in my abstract pieces.

DD: How do you come up with titles for your work?

bleu281: Intuitively. Often while working on something and staring at it. I want to keep it a little tacky, like 80's American advertising (e.g. Super Angst Battlefield).

DD: Are there any specific works of art (music, literature, film, etc.) that inspire or have significant meaning to you in your artistic practice?

bleu281: Brutalist architecture is a big inspiration with its raw, gray aesthetic and repeating patterns, especially for my Control Unit series. 

For music, I'm mainly inspired by early ambient techno music, Autechre (Amber), and Future Sound of London. Both have a retro-futuristic sound that is distinctly digital and leaves you lost between decades. This is like my own work, which uses software that has been around since the 90s but incorporates modern design elements like Midjourney.

I always felt like Donnie Darko was swapping between decades in stylistic expression and the characters' behavior. Then there is the absolute insanity that is Oneohtrix Point Never, which has influenced me in various ways and inspired me to follow my instincts.

DD: What draws you to NFTs, and how do you see them as different from traditional art markets?

(“Usurpation 2,” bleu281 image) (Click here for the animation)

bleu281: Digital art has been my introduction to art, excluding music. I acknowledge the flaws and naivety of Web3, but I love its potential. The easy gratification of looking at amazing art draws me to this art space, and I feel like the uniqueness of expression in this space is so special. It really speaks to me.

DD: For someone just getting into NFTs, what advice would you offer?

bleu281: Finding the right balance between diversity and consistency seems to be the key for me. Profile aesthetics are immensely important for generating sales; a consistent look helps with that. Still, artwork needs to be distinct. Of course, building a network with artists and collectors on social media is important, especially on Twitter.

DD: Who are some of your favorite artists in the NFT space?

bleu281: Cap'n, Elbi, Juanna Pedro, Datura.

DD: Do you have any thoughts about the impact of generative AI on the creative process? Do you have/use a favorite AI tool?

bleu281: Besides being an interesting tool for inspiration, long-term, it will probably shift the artist's attention toward uniqueness and away from pure craftsmanship. Thus, it will enable art-making for a wider array of unique and creative thinkers who previously lacked the opportunity to express themselves.

DD: What are you working on next?

bleu281: I'm working on some collabs at the moment. I'm also trying to connect with some artists to do exhibitions, perhaps IRL.

DD: Lastly, can you tell us about the piece we commissioned, “Another Traveller”?

(“Another Traveller,” bleu281 image) (Click here for the animation)

bleu281: "Another Traveller" is supposed to be an abstract user interface for a fictitious game based on old DOS games. It connects to the "Exit" collection, which explores the same world. A recurring theme is being trapped in a room with either no exit or a hostile creature. I always tie this to my struggles with mental health, whether it’s being unable to leave my room or the sense of hostility I feel. 

I generated the character with artificial intelligence by using Midjourney’s /blend and /describe tools on my own work.