Meet Ivan Cruz

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ivan Cruz.

Hi Ivan, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
When I was younger, my brother challenged me to solve a Rubik’s cube with the reward of buying me a PlayStation 2. After doing some research and lots of practice, I was able to solve it in front of him! Although I never got the PlayStation, the skills I learned to deconstruct complexity and turn the impossible into the possible have inspired me to embrace the unknown.

Attending ArtCenter’s Graphic Design’s Motion Track with this mentality, I learned the fundamentals of visual communication through creating style frames, storyboards, and 2D and 3D animation and compositing them together with my classmates.

Wanting to explore more, I was struck with the tangibility of interactive art, which led me to the experimental elective Mediatecture class offered within the program. I found my freedom and introduced new ways of making by using Processing, Arduinos, and Kinect sensors. I was able to help redefine the class with my first project, a 20-foot-wide screen displaying particles that visualized the school’s Wi-Fi traffic.

After completing the program, I freelanced with the creative agency Mirada for the IBM Centennial Exhibit at Lincoln Center, New York. Meeting the designers, programmers, and directors, I was inspired to solve new problems, communicate spatially, and use my skillset across media. This led me to work on many innovative projects for Apple, Google, Facebook, BMW, HBO, Netflix, and E Ink.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Being a Freelancer, I’ve enjoyed taking on projects I’m passionate about and teaching at ArtCenter. However, life took on a new dimension after I started a family and welcomed my second son.

About a year ago, I noticed my older son mesmerized by spinning wheels at the playground. I was curious about this fixation and after seeing a neurologist, discovered he has autism. I shifted my focus to accommodate the schedule change, daycare, therapy, and doctor visits and found new ways to connect with him. Seeing his progress in therapy and listening to him sing songs like “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, made me feel fulfilled, rewarded, and grateful.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
Yeah! There are two sides to me: education and creative technology. For over a decade, I’ve taught the Mediatecture program at ArtCenter, which communicates human experiential-centered design using interaction and projection mapping. The program facilitates students to experience their work in a tangible way and create their own tools using computer programming. It’s a perfect environment to empower students, reframe problems, and challenge their understanding of graphic design communication.

My freelance work ranges from motion design, where I designed and animated the HBO Max logo sequence, to a sound-activated typographic instrument for the San Francisco Symphony, eFlow an interactive sculpture, Dazzle a 1600-foot long mural at the San Diego International Airport, and the BMW iX Flow concept car and facade installation at CES 2022.

The last three projects all contain animations with E Ink. I enjoy working with the materiality of it and its versatility at large scales. When the color naturally transitions from black to white, it completely reorientates your spatial awareness. By programming the raw material, crafting stories, designing sequences, and collaborating with engineers and artists, the boundaries between analog, digital, and human connections seamlessly bridge.

eFlow is an interactive touring sculpture featuring two suspended rings connected by double-sided E Ink ribbons that animate and come to life depending on your proximity to it. Upon its activation in Boston, the lab and I were captivated and filled with the satisfaction of seeing all the hard work come together.

Dazzle’s design draws inspiration from World War 1 warship camouflage, making it challenging for submarines to discern the ships’ travel direction. For this, I developed a custom 3D program that translates my animations into data that can be broadcast out to the E Ink tiles.

BMW iX Flow at CES 2022, Las Vegas, was an installation centered around the color-changing car set against an E Ink BMW mesh pattern facade. It was great witnessing the excitement of the attendees and spotting myself working in the background in news footage.

Currently, I’m working with the artist Jesse Woolston, creating and establishing custom workflows and tools for international art installations. At the start of the year, we worked on a global Dior collaboration for the Mens Summer 2023 collection. As a long-term friend, having deep discussions about high artistic concepts like the human condition and then seeing them executed in installation art brings together what I love to do inside and outside of Mediatecture.

Special thanks to Nik Hafermaas, Miles Mazzie, Brad Bartlett, and the motion design community that has supported me.

Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I love books that allow me to be lost in deep thought about privacy, autonomy, society, human connection, and ethics.

Radical Technologies: The Design of Everyday Life by Adam Greenfield
The Information: A History, A Theory, A Flood
The Signals Are Talking by Amy Web

On a personal note, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant has been highly impactful in reframing autism by understanding my son more.

Contact Info:

• Website: ivanjcruz.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_ivanjcruz

Image Credits
Joan Chen Rafael Cruz Nik Hafermaas Pablo Mason