:::::: funnel : eric kass : communique :::::

F U N N E L_F E A T U R E D :::

///// : interviewer : /// jeremy pruitt / thinkmule.com
for design radar www.designradar.it : Italy
//////// : interviewee : ////// eric kass
///// : location : /// indianapolis / indiana / u.s.a.
//// : url : ////////// www.funnel.tv

//////// could you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about yourself and your work? //////////////////////////////////////////////////////
hand writing analysis : 1990 : not sensitive. likes to be alone quite a bit. no deception. not a time waster—likes to be direct and to the point. could be intuitive. careful about details. needs to work on his self-esteem. may take advice from other people, but he likes to make up his own mind. he seems to be honest—would not try to deceive others. does not seem to harbor resentment. self image fluctuates—needs to be encouraged (praised). not narrow-minded. religion—he would like to know for sure that god or higher being exists. does not show many negative qualities. not emotional, so if someone else is very emotional it could bother him. ---author unknown

i strive to create work that makes people : smile / sad / remember / react / itch / inspired / involved / jealous / think / interested / blush

//////////////// how would you describe your work? ////////
: so honest it hurts :

//////// aside from your art and design, what other hobbies and things take up your time? ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
wife / daughter - 8 / daughter - 6 / son - 3

//////////////// what do you think of design awards or being published in design annuals? ////////
i like to get my work in front of the largest audience
possible as often as possible / if the work is selected hopefully
it moved someone

//////// how important is personal work for you? What do you
want to achieve with your personal work? ////////////////////////
i think of all of my work as personal work / to express my perspective
while achieving the goals of clients / in my paintings i'm struggling
to better understand the unexplainable aspects of our existence
and our relationships by representing everyday objects in a new context

//////////////// do you work inside any collective project? What do you think about communities and networking online and offline? ////////
i've read stories of the cedar tavern in new york city where the most influential writers - painters - musicians - and others of the 50's gathered to drink - debate - and exchange philosophies / the web allows for this type of spontaneous interaction on a global scale without geographic - language - cultural boundaries / the focus is completely on the work / online or offline : input equals output : isolation is limiting and lonely

//////// how do you react to creative block? ////////////////////////
creative laxative

//////////////////////////////// what inspires you? ////////
contradictions (clouds are always the same but never the same) / imperfections (one-of-a-kind like people) /
ignorance (the burden of knowledge can squelch originality)

//////////////// who is your favorite artist(s)? designer(s) food (s)? //
jackson pollack (pure unapologetic expression) / charles anderson (relentless self-promotion)
/ tomatoes (fresh garden goodness)

//////// tell us more about http://www.funnel.tv. why you designed it the way you did and what do you want to achieve with the site. //////
i think of my work as snapshots in time --- where all of my memories and experiences come together and are edited down to a single moment (the funnel idea) --- the work becomes these little frozen bits of expression --- the response of the viewer a continuation of this process / the way funnel.tv navigates is intended to allow people to become a part the site exploring it in the same way i work (searching - questioning - noticing mundane details) / with funnel i hope to create a dialogue with others artists around the world / to expose them to my work and in turn be inspired by theirs --- explore the 2003 site here > funnel_03.tv

//////// how do you approach design projects? What is your process?
listen --- research --- edit --- react ///// find one unique aspect to be the seed for a story told in a way that's both unexpected and familiar

//////// you work in a variety of mediums...what is your favorite? ////
i like to work with materials that allow the production process to be captured and apparent in the final piece / durable materials that can be abused seem to work better for me (masonite board instead of canvas for painting / letter press instead of offset litho for printing)

//////////////// what do you have instore for your future? ////////
i hope to have the courage to do some truly original and expressive work for better or worse

//////// final words? ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
passion / honesty / friction / found / lust / fit / spontaneous / frozen / thread / sucker / notice / void / pure / obsessed / opposites / numb / process / humor / time / compromise / simultaneous / dead