[This interview with Ana Estarita-Guerrero provides some insights into the work of people who design immersive media art and experiences. It’s from Live Design, which among other things organizes the Live Design International (LDI) trade show and conference – “the Ultimate Sandbox for Live Event Gearheads, Creatives, and Innovators.” See the original version of the interview for three more images and the Live Design and LDI Show websites for much more information. –Matthew]

Q&A: Ana Estarita-Guerrero, Immersive Media Designer & Technologist And LDI Speaker

By Hannah Kinnersley
October 24, 2024

Ana Estarita-Guerrero is a leading figure in the world of immersive art and experiences. Her unique vision has been sought out by clients such as Nike, Atlantic Records, Discovery, the Cartoon Network, and Activision Blizzard E-Sports, and has been seen in (and on) venues such as the Los Angeles County Museum and the J. Paul Getty Center in Los Angeles.

As a technologist, she is at the forefront of adopting new tools to further the world of design and experiential projects, and as an educator she shares her innovative approach with students at Loyola Marymount University and the University of Southern California.

Estarita-Guerrero is presenting two sessions at LDI 2024:

• Friday, December 6, 9:00am PST
  Introduction to TouchDesigner & Real-time Media
• Sunday, December 8, 11:30am PST
  XLIVExLDI: Human-Centered XR

Ana Estarita-Guerrero spoke to Live Design about her career, inspirations, and being comfortable with the discomfort of not knowing something.

Live Design: What attracted you to a career as an immersive designer?

Ana Estarita-Guerrero: Like many in this field, I “fell into it.” That’s one reason I’m so passionate about education—people often don’t realize this can be a career! For me, it all began with physical art installations. I’ve always been fascinated by 3D spaces and how you can manipulate them with scale, color, and positioning to create a “twisted” perception. When I discovered digital 3D spaces, I was immediately intrigued. But it wasn’t until I found that space between the physical and digital worlds, through interface creation and XR, that I knew I had found my passion. We are spending more time in digital spaces, but we’re always in our bodies, and the more I explored immersive design, the more I realized how critical our physical presence is to how we experience the world.  Even in a digital experience that does not take into account the participants physical context, the body plays a role—it affects how they engage with an interface to access content. Immersive design allows me to create experiences that account for both digital and physical realities.

LD: This is the first generation where art and technical skills have been so intricately woven, did you have any role models or people in the industry you looked up to? Any events that inspired you?
AEG: In 2008, I stumbled upon an immersive interactive performance of Simeon ten Holt’s Canto Ostinato by the RecLab Collective in Bogota. It was a fully immersive projection mapping experience in a courtyard where every wall was covered in projections. The public could adjust a couple knobs placed in a table in the center of the courtyard to change the visuals and even control the speed and octave of the music. I was captivated by the idea that you could alter the entire atmosphere of five buildings by simply moving a box. After that night, I sought out the collective members and eventually joined them. That moment set me on the path I’m on today

One of the most eye-opening realizations since then is how technologies—whether woodworking, circuit bending, or digital design—are just tools. 3D design software is a tool, like color pencils are, and each has a learning curve. It’s all about becoming comfortable with the discomfort of not knowing something.  I find that a lot of my role models are also my colleagues: Akiko Yamashita, Crystal Jow, Brenda Chen, Tonz Beglari. They are all artists whose work I admire greatly, and they all have a similar philosophy when approaching technology in their work. They want to do something and they do it. Did they need to learn how to create a custom ML model to segment an object they wanted to single out? Cool, they did it. As we move more and more into a software agnostic world, more artists will find themselves in this unique place where learning a new tool is just part of the process. You sit down, learn, and do the work.

LD: On your website you list free tutorials on some digital tools, what other ways do you advise people to stay up to date on what new technology is out there and what they should be looking at?

AEG: There are social media platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and ArtStation where people share their projects and sometimes their processes. Conferences like LDI and SIGGRAPH are also invaluable for seeing new work and meeting the people behind it. I love attending these events because you often get to demo new technology and ask questions directly to the developers. It’s also a great way to connect with both old and new friends. But on my day to day a thing I like to do, and I’ve seen a lot of my peers doing, is helping people in forums and Discord channels. Sometimes, someone is trying to do something and they are stuck finding a solution, it might be something you would have never thought about doing, but putting your brain into someone else’s problem expands the way your brain approaches issues and exposes you to tools you hadn’t considered before.

LD: You are speaking at LDI in December teaching a digital tool and also leading a session focused on human-centered XR. Can you talk a little bit about what human-centered XR means to you?

AEG: The body is at the center of all digital experiences. Even when we look at a 2D digital image, we perceive scale based on how we understand it in the physical world. A space feels grand because we instinctively relate it to how small we feel within it. It’s easy to forget this connection. That’s why I encourage frequent testing in immersive environments—send your XR work to the device, walk around, and experience it from a physical perspective at every stage, not just at the end. Design decisions deeply impact how space is perceived, and this applies to interfaces as well.

Consider a simple example: if you’ve ever had to hammer a nail above your head versus at chest height, you know the difference it makes. The way the body interacts with a design shapes how the user experiences it. Are your users in a cool room, where they have to tap a cold screen to see your menu and get your message? They’ll probably be less inclined to participate. Accessibility also plays a huge role. Accessible interfaces are human interfaces. Accessible design should be the default, not an afterthought. Throughout our lives, we all experience varying levels of physical ability, whether it’s as simple as needing reading glasses or something more permanent. In the case of reading glasses, for example, something as simple as forgetting them at home, can make certain experiences completely unusable. Designing with the human body and its limitations in mind creates more inclusive and effective interfaces.

LD: How do you center your work in art versus getting caught up in the latest bells and whistles? Where do you find inspiration?

AEG: It is interesting the way you pose this question. I’d think that my work in art is what allows me to be caught up in the latest bells and whistles. Any new technology requires an immense amount of R&D before it can be offered commercially to a client. Client work comes with hard deadlines, so it can be risky to experiment with untested tech. That is, among other reasons, why my personal projects are so important—they provide a space for experimentation. I use them to develop demos that I can later show to clients, which makes it easier to pitch new ideas.

For inspiration, I try to observe human behavior without context. For example, in the gym, people use stair machines or treadmills, and I often wonder, “If I didn’t know what a gym was, what would I think was at the top of those stairs?” I break down behaviors into small units and think about how I could use them in an interface. It’s like a game of Legos. Most experiments end up as abandoned prototypes in my studio, but a few turn into real projects.

Register here for LDI 2024 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, December 4-10.