2007 | INTERACTIVE ORACLES | CLIENT: ACURA

Emerging Talent No. 19: Nikolai Cornell
With a goal of never working on the same type of project twice, madein.la creative director Nikolai Cornell pushes the boundaries of technology, creating large-scale immersive multimedia environments. “My work focuses on exploring the intersection between physical space and interaction design,” says Cornell. “I’m interested in taking a closer look at emerging technologies, display systems, physical interaction and human-scale interfaces ... specifically, interactive experiences that abandon the mouse in favor of a dynamic range of sensors that allow the human body to be used as an interactive device.”

Cornell is able to develop truly interactive experiences because his computer-embedded environments respond to the full body movements of the user. He collaborates with interface, motion, experience and exhibition designers, creative and art directors, illustrators, programmers, researchers, engineers, information architects, strategists, production managers, carpenters, electricians and gybos [an acronym for Get Your Bootleg On]. Creating the right team is essential to the end result. Some amazing commercial applications for Cornell’s work have included his interactive installations with human-scale computer systems for the Detroit and Los Angeles Auto Shows, created with The George P. Johnson Company. Other clients have included Infiniti, Scion, Acura, Honda, Nokia, Sapient and R/GA. His work has garnered numerous awards, including those from The Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA), SXSW (South by Southwest Festival) and a variety of design magazines.

“On a professional level, I look forward to continuing my focus on developing projects for the ‘fifth screen,’” explains Cornell. “What is the fifth screen? [1st = film screen, 2nd = TV screen, 3rd = computer screen, 4th = mobile phone screen] It is the surfaces that surround us in the built environment in which we live, work and play. Over the next decade, these surfaces will continue to come to life through the use of interactive media in new and meaningful ways not imagined. I’m looking forward to doing some of that imagining.”

His background prepared Cornell to meet this goal. He received his BA in Architecture at Virginia Tech and worked for FACE Architecture before turning his attention to the web. He next worked at Razorfish designing innovative websites, left to start his own studio, then entered the Media Design Program (MDP) at Art Center College of Design, where he received his MFA.

Cornell integrates architecture and media design, developing a design language in his interactive installations that connects physical space with immersive virtual content by forming a dialogue between the two. “I’m absolutely fascinated by the potential for emerging technologies to transform the way we interact with the world around us,” says Cornell. “To put it another way, I am doing my part to continue the ‘evolution’ of the human race.”

“What can I say? Nikolai’s work is so gorgeous that it would be easy to miss one of his greatest skills—building enthusiasm around his own enthusiasms,” says designer/editor Anne Burdick, who chairs the MDP at Art Center. “Nikolai can pull together great teams to bring to life his almost-impossible imaginings. I have no doubt that he will continue to challenge us with new models for how we interact with screens and environments.”
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