‘American Glitch’ (2020 - ongoing) is a look at the slip between fact and fiction and how this manifests in the U.S. landscape. In an era defined by screens, conspiracy theories, and the advent of the Metaverse, the notion that we are existing within a simulation has become increasingly popular. In the midst of the pandemic, the CIA released a report that acknowledged that they have been looking into this possibility for some time. This notion that we are living in a simulation appears online where images are posted as personal evidence of a ‘glitch in real life’. This vernacular builds on ideas explored in movies like 'The Truman Show' and 'The Matrix'. It reflects a generation’s experience where the digital and physical worlds are merging.

The artist duo Orejarena & Stein spent over a year researching locations throughout the U.S. that fit into the framework of a glitch. They travelled the U.S.'s back roads on Google Earth, confirming these locations' existence. They're viewing the internet as a mirror to our collective subconscious and taking the pulse of parafiction and its relationship to the U.S. This work will be presented alongside the following sentences: “One of these images has been manipulated.The artists will not say which one."

Orejarena & Stein are from Colombia and the U.K respectively, however they've lived in the U.S. for large portions of their lives and they're interested in using the concept of a “glitch” in American society to explore the mythologies they both used to assimilate to their adopted home.

In an effort to dig right into the heart of these concerns, the duo often focus on the U.S. military and its substantial mark on the U.S socio- political and physical landscape.

The duo plan to spend 2022 on the road, developing this new body of work. The work will ultimately include a series of large format prints, wallpapers of found images, and a three-channel video component, all still in development.