yayoi kusama & louis vuitton paint dots over historic monuments with new snapchat filter

Yayoi Kusama & Louis Vuitton with Snapchat

Last time, Yayoi Kusama was caught painting her signature vibrant polka dots over Louis Vuitton’s store in New York. She was wearing her pumpkin sculpture as a headdress to protect her from the giant polka-dots debris behind her. Yet as the camera zoom in, viewers realize the artist inside the store was the robotic replica of the original, somewhat a foreshadowing of the continuous collaboration of the two.

Just as expected, Yayoi Kusama and Louis Vuitton work together to paint dots over historic monuments across the world. This time, they tap Snap Inc. to devise a Snapchat filter to fuel their augmented-reality venture. Louis Vuitton puts it as creating colorful impressions around the world. For the new stunt between the luxury house and Yayoi Kusama, the Snapchat ‘Monument Scan’ lens Kusama-fies landmarks in major cities including the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Statue of Liberty in New York, and the National Gallery in London.

Once users click on the Monument Scan lens and point it toward the landmarks, Kusama’s rainbow polka dots crawl like footsteps on the sand until they cover parts of the monument, fusing her round strokes with some of history’s revered architecture.

images courtesy of Louis Vuitton

Giant lifelike statue at ‘harrods’

For the second time since 2012, Louis Vuitton has invited Yayoi Kusama for a collaboration that has launched a collection of dots-painted accessories and products from the fashion house. As Louis Vuitton says, the partnership blends ‘the creativity of Yayoi Kusama and the savoir-faire of Louis Vuitton as the new collection reinterprets the Maison’s iconic pieces, infused with the artist’s signature motifs.’

The new Snapchat filter from Snap Inc. comes through as a follow-up to the series of feats that the duo has in store for their audience. A 15-meter-high life-like statue of Yayoi Kusama has already dots-painted the exterior and interior of Harrods in London. Dots bigger than plates hang outside the famed architecture of the department store, and passersby are afforded a surreal view of a giant Kusama sculpture solemnly letting her brush piroutte its dipped bristles on Harrods’ facade.

With the entrance of Monument Scan with Snapchat, not only does it entail the future AR-driven endeavors of Louis Vuitton and Yayoi Kusama, but it also signals a potential for businesses to turn to augmented reality to lure audiences into their offerings through interactive filters and stunts.

arc de triomphe and eiffel tower in paris