To be filed under artist features that have been too long in the waiting is the work of Funken, who have been on our radar of visual artists for a few years and now are excited to finally follow up with for some behind the scenes info.
1. Who are you and what do you do?
We are Funken, a design studio founded by Nico and Diego Salinas, twin brothers with a symbiotic creative relation and a strong and defined vision. The studio operates between Santiago (Chile), where Nico stands as creative and art director, and New York City, where Diego is exploring new design techniques and creative processes, but also directing the studio alongside Nico. We are inspired by people, cities and cultures. Our design approach is global, so we take all kind of projects: graphic and editorial design, web, branding, film, audiovisual installations, light shows, live visuals and many other forms of art and design.
2. What hardware, software and other tools do you use in your work?
As designers we use standard tools like the Adobe Suite, but we never stop exploring and experimenting with new platforms and technologies. We are currently working with Python, OpenFrameworks and WebGL. Since the beginning of our studio – previously known as Telefunken – we have been using different VJ softwares, but our essential audiovisual work is developed on VDMX.
3. Tell us about your latest project “Particular”
Particular is an interactive audiovisual installation inspired by the infinite around us, where the spectator becomes part of the work by sitting in front a control system, putting on the headphones and pushing buttons and knobs to intervene the work and create their own version.
We designed different audiovisual scenes and assigned them to each button of a midi controller attached to a suitcase. Each scene can be altered by twisting the knobs or mixing the buttons to superimpose the different videos. This way, the spectator can create uniquely and infinitely within Particular.
The installation is composed by a 2x2 mts LED screen, 5 RGB LED bars lined horizontally in front of the screen, a hazer and headphones to heighten the immersive effect, the midi controller and a Mac Pro running VDMX.
