profile / alumni / entertainment-design
May 25, 2018
BY JAMIE WETHERBE

Setting A Scene: Meet Set Designer Assaf Horowitz

ArtCenter: What are you working on right now?
Assaf Horowitz (BS 14 Entertainment Design) lead set designer, Blue Sky Studios: An animation feature that will be out in 2020, but I can’t say more than that.

AC: Describe a moment in your childhood where you first identified as a designer.
AH: I was a kid in Israel during the first Gulf War. We often had to go into shelters while missiles were being shot, so my first design when I was about 5 or 6 was a house that lifted its roof to stop a missile.

Also in elementary school, I had permission to go to the supply closet in the middle of a lesson, grab art supplies and take them back to my table. I just couldn’t focus without drawing.

AC: What’s the most unique thing you’ve designed?
AH: My first job was working on a film that will never see the light of day. It was world of talking plants, daisies and corn cobs walking around. There’s reason you’ll never see that movie, but we tried.

AC: How do you define success?
AH: That’s a tough question to answer. For me, it’s about feeling happy and fulfilled — that could be monetary or career-wise or something to do with family. But finding that feeling of contentment, that’s it for me.

AC: What’s the design cliché you’re most tempted to use?
AH: Rhythm.

AC: What’s the one tool you can’t do without?
AH: Pen and paper.

AC: What’s the first site you look at when you open your computer in the morning?
AH: I’m fascinated by world events, so I read the news a lot. I’m super curious and I think that feeds into my work. I’m addicted to news sites and Facebook, of course.

AC: Where do you go (online or offline) when you’re taking a break?
AH: We just moved to Connecticut, and I find it’s really nice to just step outside.

AC: If you could trade jobs and do anything for a day what would it be?
AH: Gardening because what I do is the direct opposite.

AC: What do you do to detox from media and screens?
AH: I used to knit, but that didn’t last very long. Now I’ve been whittling — it’s very meditative.

AC: What book is on your bedside table?
AH: The Book by Alan Watts.

AC: Who are the most interesting designers working today?
AH: Frank Gehry. He scribbles on paper and buildings pop up. It’s incredible.

AC: If you could have a superpower, what would it be?
AH: To stop time. There’s just not enough in the day to get everything done.

AC: Where is your happy place?
AH: Sitting in Israel and eating a fresh plate of hummus — that really hits the spot.

AC: What’s your most prized possession?
AH: My wedding ring.

AC: How would your closest friend describe you?
AH: In Israel we say it’s like a cactus — full of thorns on the outside but soft on the inside. It’s called, sabra.

AC: What’s your best piece of advice for an ArtCenter student who’s interested in following your career path?
AH: Pursue your passions. If you like doing what you do, it shows and that can take you places.