Pascal de Man
Biography
Since my early childhood I've been fascinated by how things work. Items got taken apart, giving away what world was hidden inside them and – when I saw fit – combined, or put back together in (preferably) an improved form. Over the years this fascination grew and started to involve an interest in how and why people work. As soon as the first computer entered my life, it turned out that I could use this device combined with both extremes of the spectrum to create computer programs.
From here on, (re)actions from both humans and machines alike got analysed for recurring patterns that could be optimised or used to predict possible future steps. All of this led to me signing up for a study in Advanced Informatics followed by Interactive Media Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam. During this time, I learned how to create user-centered solutions and to mix various media and platforms to achieve my goals.
After the Academy Olivier Otten and I founded internet studio Toxit and – together with his brother Roeland - Holland-Interactive. Since 2009, I'm active as a freelance internet and multimedia- programmer based in Rotterdam. Over the years I've worked on projects varying from websites, games, mobile apps, data visualisations, navigation through venues and books, video browsers, pattern- and profile generators, interactive videos, art installations, product prototypes etc.
Since 2011, I'm also active as tutor. Up to 2013 at the Communication and Multimedia Design departement of the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. Here I teached first and second years students the basics of front-end development and prototyping. Starting 2012 I'm active at the Graphic Design department of the Royal Academy of Arts in The Hague as well. Throughout the years I've worked in various positions as Coding tutor, helping students realize their interactive projects, be it for the web, print, physical space or anything in between.
