3D artist Vincent Schwenk wants you to remember the last time you had a good dance

“I find it tricky to explain what I do, as I do so much,” writes Vincent Schwenk in his website’s bio. And quite frankly, he couldn’t be more accurate in this description as he flits between 3D design, art direction, motion design and more. Working across a medley of different projects and commissions, you’ll most likely see the Hamburg-based creative designing album sleeves, working on corporate branding projects, developing conference identities and producing digital art. His client list, too, is an enviable one having worked with the likes of Microsoft, Samsung, Nike, Adobe, Wired, Spotify, Tylko and Fazua.

A broad and varied output, what ties it all together is his playful use of colour and composition. “Even though I mostly wear black, my work is the exact opposite,” he tells It’s Nice That. “It is very expressive with futuristic candy coloured blobs and glossy shapes. I also love to play with the boundaries of digital and reality. Most of my work is very abstract but yet it feels realistic because of the texture and haptic quality of the imagery.”

This ethos becomes ever-so obvious throughout the entirety of his portfolio, with the last updates we shared of his work including a 3D-scanned animated film called Material Exploration – made with engineering company Imat-uve – and some insight into how he builds a sense of community through the platform Patreon. Nearly a year has passed, and it’s safe to say that the artist has been working hard. “I’ve been busy clicking, especially in the cold winter days,” he shares of the past 12 months. “Overall I’ve been fully occupied with my Patreon all year.” Otherwise, he’s been knee-deep in a bunch of exciting projects, plus “cool jobs, fun collabs and free jobs.” And like many practising digital artists today, Vincent has also tried his hands at the world of NFT’s, which has been a great change for him. “Besides that, I have had a great time; I got married, became an uncle and enjoyed the summer with friends in Italy.”

Most recently, Vincent has released a dynamic 3D video of a personified ball of dancing clothes. Titled When the K hits, the project, made in collaboration with Jürgen Branz and Vincent Semlinger, first commenced in November and presents a joyful character prancing about the screen to a lively soundtrack. It’s a reflection of how much Vincent – like all of us – has missed dancing over the past year or so because of the imposed lockdowns and Covid-19. “Due to the pandemic (and getting older), I have missed having a good dance,” he explains. “That’s why I thought it could be a great idea to relocate the dance floor onto my computer screen.”

An utter joy to watch, viewers are invited to revel in the character’s bouncy movements as it twists, flops and jives across the screen to the funky sounds created by Jürgen, the sound designer. Much of Vincent’s work is about experimenting with texture and materiality, so it comes as no surprise to see such a mix of textures intertwined in When the K Hits; patches of plaid, cotton and silk are stitched together in a magnetic display of cloth. “I love motion and movement is a big part of my life,” adds Vincent. Equally, dance and fashion are important to the designer as he views them as being excellent ways of expressing oneself. “That’s why the sound designer Jürgen Branz came up with the idea to take the catwalk music from fashion shows as a reference,” he continues. “But of course, the type of model and the clothes, which are shown in the video, are quite the opposite.”

Indeed the antithesis to your typical fashion runway show, Vincent’s creation is playful and free. He uses a mix of Marvelous Designer – a software often used throughout his practice – as well as C4D, Redshift and Substance to build the garments. “I wanted to do something fashion-related but still keep my usual style,” he notes. Achieving just that, Vincent’s main goal is to bring a sense of joy and nostalgia to his audience. “I hope it gives them a smile and that they’ll think about the last good (pre-Covid-19) dance they had. I can remember mine quite well.”