I HOMESTORIES | Real or virtual? In the room with Dennis Grimm

"Growing up in the tranquil southern Black Forest, I had the urge early on to explore the world. This love of adventure continues to run through my life and ultimately made me the person I am today. After I returned shortly before the pandemic felt European ground under our feet, my work colleagues from Mexico and I kept in touch digitally across thousands of kilometers across the Atlantic.Some brainstorms on how we can continue to work together online, and a few weeks later, DARQVIZ was born and the foundation was in full swing The vision was clear: to breathe new life into the visualization industry and use the latest technology to present projects globally as they deserve.In addition to the initial focus on the interactive and photorealistic representation of architecture, other doors have opened over the months, such as in to jump into product rendering, which is how we work at the moment In addition to visualizations of apartment complexes by the architect David Chipperfield in Austria, it also participated in test projects by the Belgian lamp manufacturer Supermodular. A lot has happened since the company was founded in June 2020. Every day is an adventure that confirms how a spark can ignite a fire."

This is Dennis, founder of darqviz. We are more than happy that our paths have crossed. Darqviz is a young company with an international team specializing in computer generated images for various creative fields in architecture, product development, etc. Since the images are created in a virtual space, there are no limits to the space. 

1. You used to study construction management, right? How come you are now working in a more creative and digital profession as a business manager? Even before and during my studies, I was constantly flirting with the art of architecture and decided early on to avoid the actual career of my studies to become a site manager in order to orientate myself as closely as possible to the planning of buildings. With DARQVIZ, I now have the opportunity to bring creativity and what I learned during my studies to the implementation of our projects.
2. Which words would you use to best describe yourself and what distinguishes you from your colleagues at "darqviz"? Curious all-rounder is pretty much to the point. When I think back to my youth, I wanted to learn any sport, as soon as I was good at it and felt comfortable, I moved on to the next. I used to see that as a weakness in perseverance, today I see this curiosity as my strength. Wanting more and more and not shying away from taking risks is crucial for a young, digital company these days. You have to take unconventional paths in order not to get lost in the noise of the flood of data. All of us at DARQVIZ are driven by different things, it is still important to look in the same direction, to which each individual contributes their special skills in order to reach the common goal.
3. Tell us about a CGI image you are particularly proud of and try to describe your approach and the process that goes into making it. Using our expertise for our own convictions and helping to make the world a better place is an essential part of our vision. Finally, we translated our shared suffering of the events and the ongoing situation in Kabul into a work of digital art. The project "Fainted Hope" serves as an outlet to express our emotions and at the same time we want to use the image to draw attention to this important topic and create awareness in our community. We would like to continue to advance these types of projects alongside our day-to-day business.
   
4. Where do you get the inspiration for your designs from? Do you sometimes have trouble finding an idea? How do you deal with it? Our world is full of inspiration, whether in nature or man-made. Architects around the world in particular design their environment as they like it. That inspires. There are always blockages, my very personal solution is to make me aware that life takes place in the here and now. Focusing on the present moment wakes me up and broadens my horizons.
5. I read that you met your partners in Mexico. How did you come to gain work experience in Guadalajara back then? In addition to the already mentioned thirst for adventure, love also brought me to this wonderful country at the time. After falling in love with the Mexican culture during my semester abroad in 2017, it was clear to me after my studies where I wanted to gain my first work experience. Here I was also able to experience the first influences on entrepreneurship, which ultimately was the seed for founding DARQVIZ.
6. How long do you need for a rendering like you designed for us in a fancy red denatured kitchen? Basically, it can be said that, regardless of the order situation, one week from the idea to the end result should be sufficient and is always what we strive for. However, the actual processing time often also depends on the feedback loops with the customer.
7. How do you design your real interiors? Does your work with virtual environments/spaces inspire/influence your interior design style? Working with interior design on a daily basis does not go unnoticed. I try to keep my creative space minimal and calm in order to approach each project with a free mind. The absolute favorite in my facility is of course the Bench Chamfer from WYE.
8. What advice would you give to young people who want to pursue the same career? Based on my own experience, I can only confirm the standard advice of every founder. It takes a lot of hard work and, above all, perseverance until this work is also recognized. What helps? Be enthusiastic, enjoy what you do and not be afraid of failure.
9. I once read the saying in one of your stories on Instagram: "Positive thinking makes life easier". Would you say you are an optimist? My friends definitely see me as an optimist. Looking positively into the future is essential for me and probably for every founder in order to master the challenges in the early stages of a company. However, essential realism is just as important in order not to misjudge situations and to be prepared for possible outcomes. It's the same as with everything: it's the mix that counts.
10. Either or questions