I am deeply attracted to the concept of clinamen, the fascinating idea that a tiny deviation in the normal course of things can lead to a major change. This resonates deeply with me, both as an artist and as an observer of the world. In the clinamen, I find a powerful metaphor for the creative act itself – a moment when, through a slight movement, thought or expression, the habitual trajectory of perception and reality can be altered.

The clinamen embodies for me the essence of spontaneity and surprise. It represents that unpredictable spark that transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary, the everyday into something magical. It is in these moments of unexpected deviation that I find the purest essence of creativity.

By integrating clinamen into my artistic approach, I seek to explore and celebrate these fleeting moments when everything can change, where new perspectives and possibilities open up. It is a celebration of the unpredictable and the unexpected in art and in life.

Acrylique sur toile

L’Homme qui file

Clinamen

Tout commence par un clic

I offer clinamen as an alternative option, a different path to explore. I make it accessible to the public, inviting everyone to experience poetic ‘clicks’ which serve as a starting point for a divergence. Each click is an invitation to deviate from the usual path, to leave one norm to discover another. The result of these deviations manifests itself through my works – whether in the form of paintings, photographs or phygital sculptures. These creations are tangible witnesses of a deliberate desire to create change, to provoke ‘another thing’. They embody the transition from a conventional state to a transformed state.


Neo Valen in his studio – Workshop diary by S. Mortier.
However, in an unexpected and revealing turn in his artistic process, he pauses his creative process. This interruption is not a trivial act, but a deliberate response to an external solicitation: a request for “Sleep” emanating from a simple click.

It all starts with a simple click in the artistic universe of Neo Valen. Each of his phygital works finds its origin in this seemingly banal act, transforming it into a gateway to an alternative world. At the heart of this universe, Eca transcends the critique of digital interactions to convert them into sensory and emotional experiences. Its ambition is to forge a space where poetry and uniqueness supplant algorithms.
 
Arsen Eca and the Myth of the Sisyphean Click
 
Valen, avant-garde artist, explores in his work the symbiotic relationship between humans and digital, part of an approach that he describes as “phygital”. His project, at the crossroads of generative art and artificial intelligence, questions the very nature of our interaction with the digital world.
 
Valen’s contemporary reinterpretation of the myth of Sisyphus materializes through the concept of the “Sisyphean click”. In this modern metaphor, Sisyphus’ rock is replaced by the repetitive and often futile action of the click, symbolizing the incessant and unfulfilled quest for meaning in a universe dominated by relentless algorithms. These algorithms, like capricious gods of the digital age, constantly dictate and redefine the rules of the game, leading the user into an infinite loop of unfulfilled desires.
 
Valen’s work is a poignant critique of algorithmic dictatorship, where each click is an effort towards an ever-obfuscated goal, a quest for meaning in an ocean of superficial information. Like Sisyphus condemned to his eternal restart, the artist depicts the Internet user as a tragic actor, engaged in an absurd struggle against the invisible forces which manipulate his actions.
 
Using these algorithms as instruments, he engages in an almost infernal loop, using them to better subvert them. In doing so, he aspires to deconstruct their influence, encouraging viewers to imagine a future where our interactions are more intentional, deeper, free from the hegemony of data and predictability. Arsen Eca thus invites us to an artistic rebellion, a quest for a world where singularity and creativity are not only safeguarded, but exalted, in resistance against algorithmic standardization

In Valen’s innovative artistic approach, the user’s click is metaphorically compared to the action of a worker feeding a machine with coal. However, in this digital and artistic context, it is not coal that is poured into the machine, but data – valuable information that is consumed and exploited by digital systems for their own purposes.

This comparison highlights the duality of our interaction with technology: on the one hand, we play an active, almost worker-like role, continuously providing the resources (data, information) necessary for these systems to function. On the other hand, there is an almost exploitative dimension to this interaction, where the system uses this data to its advantage, often without the user being fully aware.

To incorporate your suggestions, the paragraph could be reworded as follows:
 
Valen enriches the dynamics of digital interaction by incorporating a form of immediate gratification for the user, such as an electromagnetic wave generated by its deviant system. This wave, thought of as a poetic and tangible response to the click, manifests itself both as a sensory reward and as a physical representation of the impact of the user’s action. If this gratification is imbued with poetry, it nonetheless remains similar to the gratifications used by algorithms and digital systems. The latter, in fact, use such rewards to keep users engaged in an often stultifying system. Through this approach, Arsen Eca raises a critical reflection: behind the ephemeral well-being provided by these digital interactions often hides the immediacy and superficiality of algorithmic gratifications, illustrating how these systems subtly shape our behaviors and our desires.</div >

This electromagnetic wave thus becomes a powerful metaphor for the way in which digital systems reward and condition our behavior. It reflects the cycle of instant feedback that characterizes our digital age, where every action is followed by an immediate reaction, creating a cycle of dependence and continuous engagement.

At the heart of his art, Valen is not limited to criticism or highlighting the dynamics of our digital interactions. It goes beyond, transforming these interactions into a deep sensory and emotional experience. Its goal is to create an alternative world, a space where poetry and uniqueness prevail over algorithms. Paradoxically, he uses these same algorithms as a tool, turning them against themselves in a sort of infernal loop. In this process, he seeks to dismantle their hold, inviting viewers to envision a future where human interactions are more conscious, more meaningful, freed from the domination of data and predictive formulas. It is a call for artistic rebellion, a quest for a world where individual expression and creativity are not only preserved, but celebrated, in an act of resistance against algorithmic uniformity.