Please support Game Informer. Print magazine subscriptions are less than $2 per issue
Artist Uses Pixelation To Represent Fading Memories
Much of artist Hollis Brown Thornton’s work invokes 8-bit gaming with its pixelated qualities and game references. Unlike some other artists, Thornton’s use of pixelation serves an additional purpose besides just looking cool.
Whether using old family photos, VHS tapes, or images from pop culture, Thornton enjoys the unique qualities pixelating a physical object can create and what it can represent.
“Whenever I use something from the past, either the pop culture images or family photos, I try to somehow change the image, perhaps obscure certain elements,” Thornton says. “I associate that with the way memory breaks down or simplifies, makes the past vague, perhaps altered by my personal experiences. It is one reason I enjoy converting a VHS box art to pixels. Part of it is the simplification and obscurity of specific details while maintaining the overall structure. At the same time, the pixels represent the change from physical to digital media.”
Thornton was inspired by 8-bit gaming, growing up when the Nintendo Entertainment System was released. “I think a lot of it is the charming visual simplicity of those games," he says. "I think that is one of the reasons a lot of younger people love Minecraft so much, that basic visual structure is easy to wrap your mind around.”
You can check out more of Thornton’s work on his website.
I’d like to ask you to support Game Informer’s continued coverage of games with a subscription. For less than two dollars per issue, we mail you a full year of 10 print magazines, each with cover stories and preview features filled with exclusive details about the most exciting upcoming games. We profile and interview game creators. We look back on the rich history of gaming, and we celebrate what’s next.
Here on the website, we offer much of our content for free, including game reviews, daily news, videos, event coverage, and more – all with minimal ads.
We do so with a small editorial team, alongside contributing paid writers from around the world – over 65 individuals from 9 countries around the world, just in the last couple of years.
It’s not possible without support.
In a time when game makers and games coverage have faced hard struggles and layoffs, the future of this 30+ year magazine and community is at risk. Our new standalone magazine subscription is the number one way you can keep us alive – and we believe you’ll get a pretty fantastic gaming magazine in your mailbox every few weeks for your trouble.
Thank you.
