By Kareem Clarke

V Squared Labs, started by Vello Virkhaus, is a visual art production studio located in Los Angeles California. The V Squared Labs team is composed of VJ’s, visual artists, animators, programmers, and architects that together create amazing visuals for a concerts, festivals, commercials, and lots more. Through collaborations with other production teams and weeks of preparation, the V Squared Labs team has been responsible for the visuals of the Ultra Music Festival, the visuals and performance booths for the tours of Skrillex, Datsik, and Infected Mushroom, a Grammy after party for Hyundai, and a notable tour for Brazilian electronic musician Amon Tobin.

Below is our interview with Vello Virkhaus the CEO & Creative Director of V Squared Labs:

SoundCtrl: How did V Squared Labs get started?

Vello Virkhaus: By a love for created visual art. Initially we did a lot of experimental work.

SC: What was your first big project?

VV: Our first big project was with Korn. They helped us establish ourselves in LA and in entertainment in general. The project involved lots of collaboration with different directors which was great. Then we were able to create an interactive DVD with Korn that landed on Billboard and led to more work with Korn and meeting people all around the world.

SC: What has been your biggest project/what project took the longest amount of prep time?

VV: Ultra Music Festival was the biggest project this year. That took about 2 and a half weeks of prep work. Also The Hyundai Grammy after party was a pretty big deal. We created a reflective room for them and that took about 3 weeks. On average, it takes about a month or so to prepare unless there is any kind of content creation involved. Then it takes a lot longer.

SC: How did you get to work with Amon Tobin, how was that experience and about how long did it take you guys to prepare for that?

VV: The Amon Tobin project took about 15 weeks of preparation. We were recommended for the project through a mutual friend and from there, we built a team for the project. The biggest challenge of this project was that we started from nothing. There was no software or anything to go off. We had to write our own software that included face mapping and many other pieces that were all built into one system. This project was definitely the most challenging project we have had thus far but also the most rewarding. Amon Tobin is one of the most awesome artists we have worked with, he was very involved.

SC: Where do you see V squared labs in 5 years?

VV: We will continue to grow, be competitive, stay successful, and do more music projects and commercial projects. Also get more into the agency market and advance our interactive projection techniques.

SC: Where do you see the industry in 5 years?

VV: Just advancing and having bigger and better shows. I see a lot of great things; new aesthetics and new artists. The importance of visual art is growing stronger between visual artists, lighting and visual media especially in EDM. Potentially more credit will be given to visual artists, perhaps licensing and general recognition.

I definitely see more opportunity in the future. Competition creates advancement.

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