Q&A: Eric Hu

 

EM:  Occupation and Position.
HU:  I’m a freelance designer and animator and I’m currently a student at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA.

EM:  What neighborhood do you closely identify with?  What makes your community so unique?
There’s a small town called Temple City. It’s in the San Gabriel Valley on the outskirts of Los Angeles.  We have the highest concentration of Asian bridal shops per square mile, and our city park is actually just the library’s front lawn. What I love is that, it’s a lot more quiet and low-key than the neighborhoods surrounding it. The people, who come from all different kinds of backgrounds, are interesting enough to keep the place from being labeled as just another suburban armpit.

EM:  What’s the greatest item that you found at your local garage/estate sale?
By random chance, I pretty much walked away with an old vintage Nikon SLR film camera for free with a gorgeous lens. After all things digital, it’s incredibly interesting to revert to an analog format where you actually have to know what you’re doing because can’t edit mistakes and you only get a few shots per roll of film. They also don’t make cameras like they used to. I have to admit, though, that it’s lately been more of a paperweight than a recording device.

EM:  If you could interview one unsung hero, who would it be? Why?
A lot of Japanese restaurants have these impeccable plastic replicas of the food they serve on their windows that look incredibly detailed and realistic. Who makes these things? Do they have a school where they teach you how? I just want to find someone who makes these obscure food models so I could get to know the process behind their construction. It’s a detail that these restaurants have, that sadly, often goes unnoticed.

EM: What’s your favorite youtube video.
Two years ago, back in high school, I had an idea for a music video that I thought would be pretty amusing. Recently, I discovered that these guys beat me to it.

 

EM:  Where are your favorite local spots to eat?
Father Nature’s Lavash Wraps – It’s a small Mediterranean spot in Pasadena with chicken wraps and black bean hummus that make me weak in the knees.

Golden Deli – Vietnamese restaurant in the SGV. Get whatever you want, as long as your order includes their eggrolls.

Kogi – More mobile than local but this Korean BBQ Taco truck has been blowing up in Los Angeles recently. Get their Short Rib and Spicy Pork tacos and you’d wonder why no one thought of this earlier.

EM: What songs are at the top of your playlist at this very moment?
Yeasayer – “2080″
Basia Bulat – “I Was a Daughter”
Flying Lotus – “1983″
Brand Nubian – “Lick ‘Dem”
Moldar – “Retreat”
MGMT – “Of Moons, Birds & Monsters”
Wu-Tang Clan – “Bring Da Ruckus”
Animal Collective – “Bees”

EM:  What is your current bedside read?

Gut Feelings: The Intelligence of the Unconscious by Gerd Gigerenzer. It’s a book that explores the intuitive nature of the human brain, and how our instinct is oftentimes more reliable than a logic. The content goes against some of the things I’ve been taught in school as a designer and it’s been a fascinating read so far.

EM:  What is your favorite city to visit when you travel abroad? And why?

Taipei, Taiwan without a doubt. The food is amazing. The drivers are lethal and the night life never dies. The book stores are gigantic and open 24 hours. The art and design scenes have been exploding in the recent years with a creative energy that will only get bigger from here on out.

EM:  What new projects you are building on right now?
There’s a lot of things on the table for me right now. Besides, I’m also keeping myself busy with things on the side including an animation aimed at kids 8-14 about black holes, a direct-mail campaign to increase homelessness awareness in the UK, my own line of notebooks and some other projects. I’m also applying to study abroad in London this fall. As for college, I graduate in 2011 so in the mean time I just have to pace myself and keep my eyes and ears open and absorb as much as I can.

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Portfolio: http://eatsomemeat.com

Blog: http://supfoo.net

via EM Staff, 14 January 2009 8:50am |