In an interview, POM Magazine’s editor Giulia Weijerman asked Nahuel Gerth how he would like to be presented. As an artist, a graphic designer or a coder? Gerth found a way to connect all three of these roles. Originally from Germany and living in the Czech Republic, he creates graphic design work for his clients as a freelancer. His Instagram followers know him from his funny graphic posts. Giulia Weijerman interviewed Nahuel to find out if he is truly a jack of all trades and why he likes to call himself a creative technologist.
By Giulia Weijerman
Nahuel, if you had to choose between never creating something or never being online again, what would you choose?
I would rather stop being online than not creating anymore. Creating is essential to me, it is a way of expressing thoughts. I have recently had a discussion with some people about the relationship between happiness and work. Our conclusion was that if you work in the creative industry it is much easier to be happy in your work. It is a difficult question though. My creative process is intertwined with the internet. Coding is an essential part of my work and I am constantly using the internet to do my research. But the internet is also a source of inspiration to me, it is an important part of how I design and how I perceive the world.
You call yourself a Creative Technologist. How does one become a Creative Technologist?
As a kid I was always drawing comic figures. People warned me that you cannot make a living from being a comic artist. They advised me to do something else. Studying Communication Design was the next best thing and that is my background. Communication Design mainly concerns commercially applied communication solutions. But with creative coding I found a way where I can follow my curiosity without a clear goal or purpose in mind.
What does it mean to be a Creative Technologist?
It means that I am telling stories visually by using technology. The term covers both artistic and commercial storytelling. I like the term creative technologist. It is a bit vague but still you can get an idea of what it could mean.
What is the role of creative coding in your work?
Traditional graphic design tools are sometimes a bit restrictive, once graphic work is finished it normally no longer changes. By using creative coding, a graphic design becomes interactive and reactive. Instead of a keyboard or mouse you could use your entire body to interact with a website. The website reacts to the movement of your body. I explore this method a lot in my work. It started with letters dancing across the display, in line with the movement of my fingers. These fun gestures make technology accessible. They show that something abstract like IT technology can also be fun. It evolved to a new form of communication. By using the human body as an interface to communicate with a computer, we link the digital world with the physical world.
Do you use artificial intelligence (AI) to create your work?
AI is a big part of my commercial and artistic work. If I have no clue where to start or what to do, I explain to the AI program my worries or the end result I have in mind. AI is like a smart person you can ask questions all the time. Sometimes I receive really good recommendations that open up new fields of research that I then explore together with AI guidance. It helps me save time.
What is your vision on the digital future?
I am a big fan of the writer Yuval Harari and his reflections on the history of mankind. One thing that stuck with me is that from a biological perspective our bodies are still made for the Stone Age. It is made for walking miles outdoors, collecting food, running around hunting, and then sitting by the fire together with family. That is what we are biologically made for. But it is exactly the opposite of how we are living today. We are sitting in the office most of the time, probably not seeing our family as much as we want to. It would be fantastic if we could find a way to reconnect with nature. I am not saying that we should no longer use technology. We need to find a way to live the life we were originally made for and connect with our environment, whilst preserving our technological advances.