_Having a good day?
Yes

_Where are you located at the moment?
Mexico City

_What's the idea behind your alias "Kultnation"?
The name Kultnation dates back to 2002 and it was originally created for a design magazine in Mexico. Back in the day I partnered with a friend of mine lo launch the magazine with the idea of publishing theoretical essays from the graphic design industry and showcase design work and culture from around the globe. I designed the name by joining the words "cult" and "nation" and conveying the idea that the magazine will be a place (nation) nourished by design culture, theory and engage design industry to a point of creating a cult around it. Lastly, since this was an online magazine I exchanged the "C" for the "K" - as in German - to identify the name for any other search keywords over the internet.

For budgetary reasons (and I think we were just too young and inexperienced) project never saw actual daylight and it wasn't until a couple of years later  - in 2005 and after talking my friend about it - when I first used the domain name to showcase my design and animation work. I never actually foresaw Kultnation will end up being my artist name and that 10 years later I would be writing a story about it.

_How's your educational history and what's your view on education in the motion industry? I graduated with a B.A. in Graphic Design in 2002 and a couple of years later - in 2005 - I attended Vancouver Film School's Digital Design program after being awarded with a scholarship by Computer Arts Magazine. Regarding education: Democratization of information - and companies like Adobe, and Maxon along the film-making revolution  - made knowledge and tools accessible and easy to everyone; we have the largest open encyclopaedia at our reach and we have an online tutorial for every single question we might have. Although I find all this new developments fascinating I think they over saturated design industry with similar projects, techniques and styles - and in the case of motion design there's a lot of high quality technical work but there isn't really a lot content in it. As trends move faster; it is our job as creative professionals and educators to change that perspective and engage newer generations to go further with their projects, develop new techniques and styles and keep in mind that we're currently living a fascinating paradox: Being an outstanding and unique designer is the easiest and at the same time the hardest thing to achieve.

_Why did you get into motion design in the first place? Graphic Design and Animation are both my biggest passions in life; but when the time came to choose a career I picked Graphic Design mainly because there was no animation studies at the time in Mexico. Architecture was indeed my also an option but I didn't go for that because I am not skilled in areas like math and physics. A few years later - when I saw Seven's Main Title Sequence and discovered the work from studios like Belief, Vr2L, and Attik - I realized I could actually develop myself as a professional in both graphic design and animation. Motion Design is currently a growing, more popular everyday and I think there's a lot to discover from its storytelling capabilities.

How's a typical workday with Marco? Well that depends on the day, if it's Tuesday or Thursday I usually leave for class - really early to avoid traffic - and right after lunch time I get back home and keep on killing any of the projects I'm working on. Now, for the rest of the weekdays I wake up and make an early start. Since I work from home, I usually have a quick lunch there and I always go out for a walk to clear and refresh my mind. One of the things I enjoy the most from freelancing is finishing off early and taking the day or a week off to freshen up.

A majority of your work is showing a strong sense and presence of spaces and architecture, what's your thoughts around that? I always felt something about Architecture but I think it actually started with a recurrent nightmare from my childhood: I was inside a room - a very closed space - with an amorphous and massive creature. I can't actually remember any of its physical characteristics but what I do remember is the fear, anxiety and oppression its form, size and scale created on me. Throughout many years that same dream haunted me - and I still I can remember when it actually stopped - but it wasn't until years later when I realized I had exactly the same feelings about architecture. Form, size and scale and its relationship with light and space are now also an inspiration coming out from those dreams to create the fictional and architectural world you see in my work.

What makes you happy? Pinkberry, the golden ray lights that comes through my studio window every morning and overcoming my own fears.

What makes you angry? Disrespectful people and politics.

In which three situations do you feel the most creative? When I walk - one of the many reasons for which I don't own a car - while at the shower and those 20 minutes of orange-pinkish light from the golden hour always draws a smile at my face.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself directing a feature length animation project, getting back to writing design related articles, presenting my work in an exhibition, building a real life scale model of one of my sculptures and I still think of launching a design magazine.

Marco's website:

• http://www.kultnation.com/

Interview by Kim Holm Photo: Marco Vinicio