PARIS ILLUMINE PARIS

One day in August, at a time when most French are on vacation, my office received a phone call. The end-of-year illuminations being organized by the City of Paris were to be made into an art event, and they were calling to request that I attend as a designer. As I had just become independent, I felt very lucky and honored to have been singled out.

I was to be in charge of Victor Hugo Place, a high-class residential area. I explored the origins of Christmas decorations, and meticulously investigated the respective locations from an urban planning perspective, considering place and history, as well as the motifs of structures. During the installation, I went to the sites each day to encourage the installation crew, who were working continuously in the bitter cold, so that my first image would be realized precisely.

The event continued the year after and the Place Victor Hugo installation was decorated identically. It left us time to design a new light up for the prestigious Avenue Montaigne and the Viaduc des Arts (home to several luxury boutiques). These festive illuminations were successful so they were repeated in 2007. Then in 2008,the Avenue Secrétan was added to our representative series.