Introducing Imaginology Intern: Ivan Mendoza

Imaginology has taken on three new interns in the Digital Culture program from the ASU School of Arts, Media, and Engineering; Christy Caldwell, Ivan Mendoza, and Andrea Stoica. With tutelage from Artist, Animator, Producer Nathaniel Jack Greene, Fabrication Artist Ryan Gallagher, and Public Relations and Marketing Imaginologist Renee Aguilar, we look forward to fantastic projects to come. Keep an eye out on this space over the next few weeks as we will have a series of posts, to better get to know our interns and the projects they take on at Imaginology. 

Hi! My name is Ivan Mendoza. I am at Arizona State University majoring in Digital Culture. I have had a passion for the arts ever since I was young, creating sculptures and drawing in my room. I am very excited to meld my creative art expression with technology, as I know it is the future. My goal is to improve my programming abilities while honing in my artistic style.

I am looking forward to working on projects with Imaginology, including creating a 3D rendering of their puppet character known as Bony Tony, while also creating physical sets, as I believe it will further my knowledge of interactive art installations and sculptures. Throughout my time interning at Imaginology, I would like to explore how to streamline and automate the production side of streaming and video switching. 

I had an immediate love for Digital Culture when I discovered it. Digital Culture allows me the space to be creative and the ability to share my passion for art. As a major, this program is supportive and provides an environment for creativity to flourish while promoting growth in technical aspects. With the support of this program, I was able to indulge in my crazy ideas. For example, this Box of Tongues is an interactive sculpture that I created, has a flex sensor, a gyroscope, a magnetometer, and an accelerometer. I truly appreciate the help from this program that made my vision come to life. 

In my desire to improve the human condition, I choose to bring smiles to people's faces with my interactive art. Creating connections for people with interactive art, knowing their movement helps to create a beautiful and meaningful experience. I also think it is important to use video documentation during this process, as understanding how the viewer interacts with the artwork is just as important as the artwork itself. 

Working with the Imaginology team has already expanded my understanding of digital culture, and I am eager to see the end results of this partnership.