Jeff Hamada Interview.

If your not one of the 2.5 million people per month already aware of Vancouver based artist Jeff Hamada and his online celebration of arts and photography booooooom, it’s my pleasure to introduce you to him and it.  We sent a few questions over to Jeff aiming to get an insight into the man behind what is arguably the biggest arts and photography site on the internet.

Name, age, location, website?

Jeff Hamada, 28, Vancouver, www.booooooom.com

 Where did you study?

Emily Carr University (Vancouver)

 How would you describe your work to someone?

It’s just something I do for fun.

 What is the best thing about where you live?

The beautiful mountains and lakes that are literally minutes from the city.

 You’ve worked with Converse, Oakley and  Endeavor Snowboards to name a few, but if you could choose a dream project that combined personal and commercial work what would it be and why?

I would love a multi-million dollar budget to make a spoof comedy movie with all of my friends. The Wayans Brothers have destroyed this genre (in a bad way) and I’d love to make one like Top Secret! (aka the greatest movie of all time).

Can you tell us about your time at Electronic Arts?

I left school in third year and landed a job as a concept artist at EA. I worked there for a year before returning to school to finish my degree. I grew more creatively there in a year than I did in the five years I spent at two different colleges.

 Can you name your favourite typeface, animal and colour?

I prefer hand drawn lettering, I like chipmunks, and the flesh of red grapefruits.

From the sheer volume of posts on Booooooom one might think you are constantly sat behind a computer, obviously this is not the case though.  Is the majority of the work featured submitted or do you still hunt around looking for inspiration art work?

I still hunt most of it down myself.

 Where is your favourite place on planet earth?

The movie theatre.

 Have you considered Booooooom into a printed publication and what are your thoughts on digital and more traditional media?

I have several ideas for books but none of them would be like the website. Books aren’t going anywhere just because more people are using the internet.

 

Booooooom has shown you are a talent curator, can you tell us a little about any curation (in a physical sense) that you have been involved in.

I curated a show in 2009 called “Tangents” here in Vancouver, and another show in 2010 called “Small Victories”, at a gallery in Hong Kong. I don’t want to be known solely for curatorial work as it kind of puts you on the other side of the fence from the people actually making work, so I’m focusing more on my own work now.

 What is the strangest project you have been asked to get involved with?

I get asked to be involved in weird projects several times a day now, I don’t want to single any of them out. These aren’t really strange but when I was starting out as a freelance designer I took whatever jobs I could get so I remember doing a logo for a figure skating tournament and then branding a smoothie company and a law firm. Three jobs I’d turn down now, well maybe I’d still do the smoothie company.

 If you weren’t doing what you do now what would you do?

Directing short films (something I am still going to do).

 Have you visited the U.K? If so where did you go and what did you find?

I was in London briefly on my way to Sri Lanka. It was the start of the Gumball rally and there were gaudy cars prowling everywhere with like fake guns mounted to the hoods and rainbow paint jobs and all gold everything. The very next day I was in Sri Lanka building houses in areas that had been destroyed by the tsunami. It was surreal to go from one extreme to the other.

At onegiantarm we are fans of fried chicken and we are based in an area where it’s pretty much a speciality food (Bristol U.K) what is your areas speciality food?

Izakaya style Japanese food, we have so many good restaurants here.

From the large variety of work you have seen over the last year, what 5 artists do you think are truly pushing the boundaries in their chosen field?

This is kind of impossible question so this is just the first five that come to mind -
Blu, Daniel Eatock, Kirsten Lepore, JR, David Horvitz.

 If you could only eat one fruit for the rest of your life what would it be?

Fuji apple.

 If you could have a drink with anyone dead or alive who would it be and why?

My uncle Jun. I was named after him and he died before I was born.

Can you name your top 5 cheeses? If you don’t eat cheese please provide an obscure top 5?

5 youtube videos that make me laugh out loud no matter how many times I watch them.

1. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGwwJEE7k48

2. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=et_MmlTxMXA

3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQegpgl5AX8

4. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBzWHudBoiA

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZhMfzc9RbU

 What was the last album you listened to?

Unknown Mortal Orchestra

What personal projects do you have in the pipeline?

I’m slowly working on a children’s book.

For more of Jeff Hamada’s art work take a look at www.jeffhamada.com or www.booooooom.com

Also don’t forget to keep sending in your work to onegiantarm@gmx.co.uk