Active Matrix began in late 2016 while I was conducting visual research for OpenAI's branding. Ludwig Pettersson, OpenAI's first designer and my collaborator on the project, had the idea to create unique cover artwork for their high-profile research releases. It was an idea I absolutely loved, and it led me to explore past cover artwork from science and technology magazines, brochures, and books. I discovered so much fascinating material that I felt compelled to share it. So, one weekend, I quickly set up a Tumblr site and started posting.

Over the next four years, I continued posting sporadically. Tumblr, however, was a constant source of frustration. Sometimes images wouldn’t load, tagging and searching the collection was nearly impossible, and, on a few occasions, their system flagged benign images I posted as adult content. By 2020, I’d had enough. I decided I needed to build a proper website before posting anything more.

That decision led to an almost five-year hiatus as the project lingered on the back burner. During this time, I never stopped finding and collecting interesting visuals. Finally, in January 2024, I resolved to finish the project. I painstakingly rebuilt the database and began developing the frontend.

Then, as often happens, a new client project—Cursor—came along. That project kicked off a series of exciting opportunities throughout the year. It wasn’t until the Thanksgiving holiday in November 2024 that I found time to tinker with the frontend again—this time, using Cursor to help streamline the work. Collaborating with artificial intelligence felt both efficient and deeply aligned with Active Matrix's spirit. The site was finally relaunched in January 2025.