Tronic

Conceptual architects of the new digital frontier, New York’s Tronic has stepped up from video art to large-scale installations for HP and campaigns for Shell and Ferrari. US Editor Isobel Roberts goes behind the scenes.

Tucked away high up from the bustle of Manhattan’s 6th Avenue, creative studio Tronic has been at the forefront of exploring the convergence of the digital and physical worlds since its inception in New York City ten years ago. Pioneered by Vivian Rosenthal and Jesse Seppi, the studio’s accomplishments range far and wide – from commercials to experiential installations to interactive design – but the shop itself was, in fact, born out of its founders’ mutual interest and background in architecture. 

Meeting of minds

Rosenthal and Seppi first met on their inaugural day at Colombia University’s graduate programme in architecture, and as the first students in class, began talking and soon uncovered a meeting of minds, which culminated in a joint final project
in their last year. “I think it was our love of film, anime and technology that brought us together first as friends,” recalls Rosenthal, “and then we did a joint thesis together on the intersection of physical and digital space, which is kind of like a manifestation of what Tronic is about.”

As well as joining forces on their thesis, the pair were also dabbling in video installations on the New York art scene, which in turn caught the eye of the commercial world. Projects for R/GA and Diesel followed, and soon Rosenthal and Seppi realised this could be more than just a hobby. Leaving behind a traditional career in architecture for good a decade ago, Tronic has since flourished from a two-person outfit in Brooklyn to a busy studio in Chelsea, the centre of New York’s art world.

Still boutique and with its philosophy based on quality over quantity, what defines Tronic is a concept-driven attitude that combines multiple mediums. “We’ve adopted a multi-disciplinary approach,” comments Seppi. “Still, to this day, we come across people with a more traditional attitude about disciplines, and I think the way we operate is still in the minority as it’s difficult to wear different hats and excel in different arenas – but we like that challenge.”

“Tronic is always about a body of work that uses different mediums, but there is an artistic thread that weaves it all together,” adds Rosenthal. “We look for projects where we can push something forward, whether that be aesthetically or technologically, so that we are adding to the process.”

The myriad projects the studio has undertaken range from more traditional cinematic work that focuses on animation and post skills, such as a recent collaboration with director Marco Brambilla on a piece for video game Spec Ops, to high-end interactive projects. One such example was for HP and involved designing and creating a permanent installation at the brand’s Palo Alto headquarters. Part sculpture and part animation, one side showcased an architectural language through a 60-foot fiberglass shell, while the opposing side featured a manifold of video screens where the virtual could interact with the physical shape of the construction.

But while the technology angle still fascinates Tronic, they’re steadfast in their desire to bring high levels of craft to each project and to develop the design side: “Technology can be such a constraint,” comments Seppi, “as sometimes the outcome can only take so many different shapes, especially if there isn’t the budget. And I would like it to become more about the aesthetics. I feel the digital age is moving faster than the human machine can digest and the repercussions of that are difficult to predict, but I feel sometimes what unfortunately gets left behind is the design.”

Experiential design

But as the advertising industry continues to widen its scope, Tronic’s appetite for projects that blend their concept-driven nature and love for technology with their design skills is only growing. “I like to think we are in a strong position to understand and create new projects,” Seppi concludes, “instead of regurgitating something else, we can push projects forward and give them a new form.”