• Name: C-trl
• Primary Location: New York
• Affiliations: Lightrhythm
• Releases: Singles11-15:thieves are among us
• Website: c-trl.com

When she was a blacksmith, Nika Offenbac pounded out iron gates and handrails. She enrolled in art school intending to deepen her knowledge of metal fabrication, but once there she discovered — and was captivated by — the world of film and video. Offenbac traded her hammer and anvil for a Mac and earned a degree in what she calls interactive programming: a blend of film, video, and programming for robotics, installations, and sculpture. Soon she was forging a new kind of art using Shake, Final Cut Pro, and other tools on her Power Mac G5.

Today, Offenbac and business partner Devan Simunovich run a Manhattan firm called C-TRL Labs. Simunovich contributes his skills in 2D and 3D design, animation, and motion graphics as the pair invent boundary-blurring film and video, installations, sound sculptures, VJ performances, and animated projections.

In addition to serving clients that include ad agencies and Hollywood studios, Offenbac and Simunovich are committed to keeping their personal creative juices flowing. “We decided early on that it’s important for us to continue to do our own work,” explains Offenbac. “We’re keeping one foot in the commercial world and one in the fine art world — we want to go down both roads.”

» Gallery

» Catalog