The evening also marks a high point in Vello Virkhaus’ already stellar year, which includes producing and directing all visual aspects of the Jay-Z/Mike Tyson concert and Bon Jovi’s 2003 world tour. Over his decade-long career, he has also worked with musicians such as Korn, Jennifer Lopez, Stone Temple Pilots, Beck, and Ministry. He has directed, projected and VJ’d at concerts and festivals around the US such as the 2002 Winter Olympics and 2002’s Sundance Film Festival, as well as at massive music events such as Coachella (2002/2003), the 2002 and 2003 Ultra Beach Festival in Miami (43,000 attended) and Audiotistic in Los Angeles (36,000 attended). His list of corporate clients includes Apple, Nickelodeon, New Line, MTV, Sprite, The Firm, Ogilvy & Mather, Coca-Cola, Blockbuster, Atari, Ben Sherman, Sharp, Media 100 and many more.

In early 2003, he was hired to create the entire visual environment for rapper Jay-Z’s February concert in Memphis, which preceded the Mike Tyson fight. The concert was aired on Showtime and was billed as the first ever Hip Hop concert broadcast live and unedited. Virkhaus effortlessly juggled the roles of directing, programming and live video mixing. Besides creating the custom 3D animation and logos, at the heart of the visuals was a beautiful documentary about Jay-Z’s past that Virkhaus produced and directed. He spent weeks before-hand shooting in Brooklyn, Compton and Watts.

In May 2003, the world got a glimpse of super-technologically-advanced concert visuals for the new millennium when Bon Jovi launched their world tour in Efurt, Germany. Vello Virkhaus directed Bon Jovi’s extremely advanced and interactive world concert visual program. Virkhaus explains, “The key is we design for the interactive software VJ mixing systems, most do not.” He continues, “The technology being used on the Jovi shows is designed by Breckenridge “Breck” Haggerty. It’s called NEV7 system. They are also using Hagen module low-resolution LED panels: 12 pixels high, 22 long. It’s pinball game resolution but fifty times brighter. The digital/analog technology we used to produce the piece included Digital Voodoo/Final Cut Pro, Media 100XS, After Effects, Maya, PhotoShop, Illustrator, Combustion, PD-150, DSR-570, high speed 120fps 35mm film cam, fluid tanks, ink injections and underwater photography. It is a non-linear construct of amazing imagery and abstractions. ” Virkhaus is one of the few video artists working in the field of large-scale concert visuals who is helping to shape (and push the limits of) creative integration in visual display technology.

Other recent projects include Animation Director and all DVD Menu Design on New Line’s Simone DVD, Animation Director/DVD Menu Design for Korn’s Platinum selling DVD Deuce (Sony/Epic), Animation Director, Broadcast Design/Motion Graphics for the Beck: Live From San Francisco concert for Beck’s album Sea Change (DCG/Interscope). He also directed DVD animations and visual content for Moonshine’s Happy 2b Hardcore DVD.

For the making of Jennifer Lopez’s “Alive” video for Sony Pictures, Virkhaus was the “Installations VJ.” “We came in to provide a backdrop for one of director, Jim Gable’s sets.” Virkhaus recalls, “We seamlessly integrated a cinema-ratio rear screen into the space, and adjusted the video for film @ 24fps. We then played back several different environment clips to simulate looking out a window onto the marina.”

Vello Virkhaus is having a stellar 2003 so far and looks forward to the next decade of his ever-evolving career. He wares many hats in the video/digital/visual/multi-media world and loves blending the lines between commercial and fine art. Come meet this enigmatic artist at LACMA on July 8^th and take in his extraordinary work.

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