E14 A.L. Crego — GIF as the Silent Medium for Philosophy and Music

"What I do in art is an excuse to do philosophy in some way. Because I love philosophy. I like to theorize and think about technology, sociology, economics, and politics. But I feel sometimes, if I explain that in words, I lose time when I can explain it in pieces." — A.L. Crego

A.L. Crego (@ALCrego) is a GIF artist renowned for creating hypnotic visual mantras that oscillate between the stillness of a picture and the rhythm of a scratched record. Crego's passion for digital art emerged when he recognized how moving images could provoke thought more quickly and accessibly than other forms of art. 

His creations are often characterized by a sci-fi classical aesthetic, seemingly extracted directly from his subconscious. He has been approached by various DJs, artists, and agencies interested in his unique style. Recently, he has ventured into Augmented Reality apps, exploring the concept of "digital public space" and questioning the nature of museums, art, and even reality itself​​.

Crego began experimenting with the GIF format in his early twenties, recognizing its potential as an artistic medium. Before focusing on GIFs, he had been heavily involved in photography and video. He started publishing his work on Tumblr and began animating street art in 2014. Between 2014 and 2018, he immersed himself in exploration and experimentation, leading him to develop a workflow that he continues to use to this day​​.

Crego's work is influenced by his interest in music, particularly drumming. He sees GIFs as "beats" and has developed a series called "Visual Beats," which is a symphony of silence where GIFs, despite being silent, resound​​

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• A.L. Crego discussed his Visual Beats project, describing GIFs as "beats" akin to music, due to their rhythmic looping nature. He emphasized the importance of the perfect loop, likening it to the rhythm in music and noting the importance of a seamless transition for a good GIF.
• Crego mentioned that he prefers to display his GIFs on digital devices like phones and computers, as he believes the web is the natural canvas for GIFs. He acknowledged the technical challenges of rendering GIFs and the need to keep file sizes manageable for usability.
• Discussing his tendency to reduce his work to basic forms, Crego said this approach aligns with his understanding of the GIF format. He explained that reducing the number of colors allows him to keep files small while maintaining strong visuals, thus increasing usability on the web.
• Crego introduced his Agnosic series, which he created while studying frequency modulation. The series plays with the idea of identity and recognition, inspired by agnosia, a mental disorder that causes difficulty recognizing faces.
• Crego shared that he doesn't have a strong emotional attachment to any particular piece, likening his art to songs. He believes some pieces will make more sense in the future, providing a map of his artistic journey.

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