To make the immersive installation !ERROR!, artist Laura Duffy invited several friends to dance in front of a green screen as if they were at a party or club, wearing costumes or disguises if they wanted to. Duffy then added digital effects like low-fi animation, glitches, static and distortion in post-production to create this series of dancing digital portraits that incorporate elements of ‘failure’.

‘Failure’ and ‘success’ are presented here as inadequate ideals of capitalism and heteronormativity. Instead, !ERROR! queers technology by creating a limitless space where desire, pleasure and friendship are celebrated. Experimenting with different techniques across multiple video channels, Duffy pushes back against what we think of as ‘normal’ through the use of concealment, opacity and intimate queer-specific spaces. !ERROR! critiques the assumption that our relationships should be productive or easily defined, and instead prioritises surprise, joy and love as important aspects of resistance and solidarity.

Commissioned by Enjoy Contemporary Art Space.