The pixel is the most fundamental building block of the digital image. Without it, it wouldn’t matter how big that sweet HDTV in your living room is: Modern images simply would not exist. But with high definition displays pushing increasingly massive resolutions, the way we perceive pixels nowadays is becoming similar to the way we perceive the billions of cells in the human body; an unseen universe of tiny blocks that has faded into the gestalt of the modern moving image. Seemingly in response to this, the pixel has recently become the focal point of a resurgent art movement that cherishes its ability to express dynamic qualities in the realms of illustration, animation and videogames.
I’ve written up a short treatise on this revivification of pixel art and lo-fi culture on MOTHERBOARD. Follow the link to have a look-see.
