Eye See Eye in Louis Vuitton- a Manhattan Christmas special

A few luxury brands can match the brand recognition and appeal of Louis Vuitton. You can tell by the number of knocks-off in the streets and the manner ladies automatically eye and analyze whether somebody else’s bags were genuine or not. The LV monogram is the very essence of style.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/4.5, 34mm, ISO 100,+1/3 EV, flash fired


One day in Christmastime of 2006, I went to the Louis Vuitton One East in Fifth Avenue, New York. No, I was not there to shop nor to gawk but to check out Eye See Eye, the art installation of Danish artist Olafur Eliasson.


at the Louis Vuitton One East, 1 East 57th Street (corner Fifth Avenue), New York, the US
Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/200s, f/4.5, 34mm, ISO 100,+1/3 EV, flash fired


I’ve heard a lot about it. Made to resemble like the pupil of an eye, the glass and light project echoed Eliasson’s knack for participative art and the stage, this time, was the street.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/10s, f/10, 22mm, ISO 100,-1/3 EV, flash fired


The stainless steel and aluminum spotlight of mirrors and lenses was large at about 230x120x110cm. Its burst of loud yellow sodium light and vibrant purple produced a kaleidoscope of colors which invited and drew passersby like a magnet.

Capturing it in photographs has its challenges. In getting the shots here, I remembered two things. I shot the lamp when it was dark outside. I also used flash to trigger to the violence of color. Here, violence was good.


Canon EOS 350D Digital, 1/15s, f/5.0, 39mm, ISO 200,-1/3 EV, flash fired


n.b. This year, Eliasson was commissioned by The Public Art Fund and New York City to create the New York City waterfalls by the Brooklyn Bridge which ran from June 26 to October 13, 2008.

Louis Vuitton
1 E 57th St (5th Ave), New York, New York