Error (2022) captures the fleeting light sensations of screen pixels, offering a macro perspective on the hidden instructions governing the web applications we use daily. Error messages appear when unexpected failures disrupt intended operations—brief yet significant signals of breakdown. As a computer’s way of communicating, these messages highlight the delicate interplay between usability, interactivity, and the evolving relationship between humans and machines. Through this painting, Tan Mu examines the unseen mechanisms that shape our digital experiences, revealing the fragility and complexity embedded within everyday technology.

Q: How did error messages become an inspiration for your work?

Tan Mu: Error messages emerged as a natural extension of my exploration of information systems and screen based perception. During my university studies in Expanded Media, I became deeply engaged with programming, coding, and the mechanics of technological systems. Error messages are embedded within the digital environments we rely on daily, yet they remain largely invisible until something breaks. They surface only at moments of disruption, when a signal fails or a system collapses.

For me, error messages represent interruptions in information flow. Although they are generated by complex and invisible layers of code, they appear in a language designed for human understanding. In this sense, they function as a form of communication between humans and machines. By isolating these moments of failure, I wanted to examine how technological systems reveal themselves most clearly when they stop functioning as intended.

Q: In your paintings, the word error appears as a glowing green form. How did you develop this visual language?

Tan Mu: The green glow is a direct reference to early pixel based screen displays. Monochrome green phosphor monitors were once widely used in computing, and that visual memory has stayed with me. Although the work is painted with oil on canvas, I wanted to recreate the sensation of emitted light rather than reflected light.

Through layered color transitions and subtle gradients, I aimed to evoke the luminosity of digital screens and lightboxes. This painterly approach allows the surface to appear as if it is glowing from within, bridging the material language of painting with the immaterial experience of screen based imagery. The result is a visual tension between physical pigment and simulated light.

Q: You often describe error messages as interruptions in information transmission. Could you expand on this idea?

Tan Mu: Error messages mark the precise moment when an information pathway collapses. They signal failures such as signal loss, system crashes, or breakdowns in communication. These interruptions reveal the vulnerability of digital systems that we often assume to be seamless and reliable.

This interest in disruption runs throughout my work, including pieces like NO CHANNEL, LOADING…, and NO SIGNAL. In each case, I focus on moments when transmission pauses or fails entirely. These visual states translate technological breakdowns into legible images, allowing humans to recognize and respond to system instability. Error messages become symbolic markers of our dependence on technology and our constant negotiation with uncertainty.

Q: Error messages are deeply embedded in contemporary digital culture. Do you think they will continue to exist in the future?

Tan Mu: Error messages belong to a specific technological phase. As systems become more stable or more seamlessly integrated, these visible signs of failure may disappear or be replaced by new forms of communication. For example, the static filled interruption screens once common on televisions have largely vanished, replaced by continuous content or automated transitions.

Through my work, I aim to preserve these error messages as historical artifacts. They function as time stamps of a particular era in human machine interaction. Beyond signaling failure, they reflect how technology communicates with us and how we respond when systems break. By documenting these fleeting moments, I hope to create a record of technological experience that might otherwise be forgotten.