Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries: The Exhibition in Singapore

Magic Trunk room 2 at Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Explore this exhibition celebrating Louis Vuitton’s bicentennial birthday, with 200 trunks reimagined by 200 visionaries on display.

Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore Marina Bay Sands event plaza 1

From now till 27 April 2022, the 200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries exhibition is open at the Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza, near the Louis Vuitton Island Maison store. The exhibition takes place within a gigantic box emblazoned with a silver checkerboard (also known in french and Vuitton-Universe as Damier). Inside, visitors will find a showcase of 200 ‘trunks’ created in collaboration with 200 visionaries across various disciplines, paying tribute to the original LV trunk created in the 1850s.

This exhibition debuted during the actual bicentennial last year at Asnières, a town north of Paris. Akin to the “heart and soul” of Louis Vuitton, Asnières is where Vuitton’s storied family home, the brand’s archives, gallery and exhibition spaces, and a high-end Atelier (workshop) are all located. That particular workshop works on special orders and high-end pieces, including hard-sided trunks.

Singapore marks the first stop in the 200 Trunks’ global tour, which will include Beijing, Tokyo, New York and London. These trunks will be eventually auctioned off by Sotheby’s, with proceeds going towards programmes to support young creatives.

Foyer 005 Lego Birthday Cake Trunk at Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

LEGO‘s Birthday Cake Trunk on display at the exhibition briefing room.

The Magic Trunk Room

Magic Trunk room 1 reflections at Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The experience starts in a dark room, where screens and mirrored surfaces bring focus to the ‘Magic Trunk’ in the middle. Those who visited the Louis Vuitton Series 3 Exhibition would recall a similar room.

The Landscape of Trunks

Landscape of Trunks 100 Dynamo trunk in bottle Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The path leads into a brightly-lit, warehouse-like area, where trunks in various forms are displayed.

Right in the middle: The ‘Monsieur Louis‘ Robot Trunk installation, with its body covered with LED screens.

Landscape of Trunks overview with 051 The Simpsons Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Some trunks are crafted pieces, while many are these ‘Magic Trunks’ made out of LED panels.

Landscape of Trunks 007 Marc Jacobs Stephen Sprouse Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Landscape of Trunks 019 Scenic Sets Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

From the iconic Stephen Sprouse Graffiti prints (Marc Jacobs), the 2017 Supreme collab (Kim Jones), whimsical forms by Frank Gehry, to even The Simpsons making an appearance. This gallery offers an experience to spot recognisable design elements from famous creatives and pop culture.

Landscape of Trunks overview 5 Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Almost all the trunks on display at the exhibition take on the standard 50x50x100cm dimensions – the blank canvas that the 200 creatives start with. The shape is supposedly close to the size of the first flat-top trunks developed by Louis himself in the 1850s. It started a trunk-stacking revolution (most trunks back then had rounded tops so that water could runoff). I believe that the ‘standard’ hard-sided rectangular trunk that is produced today by LV is slightly larger (Malle Courrier Lozine 110).

Landscape of Trunks overview 2 Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Landscape of Trunks overview 3 Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

You’ll get to walk through these staggered valleys of works, each placed on top of shipping crates that will follow each trunk along their world tour.

Landscape of Trunks overview 4 Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape corridor Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

A narrow hallway, with framed artworks, connects you to the next gallery.

The Dreamscape

The Dreamscape overview Blue area Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape gallery features trunks with a more transformative take. Some are quite surreal.

The Dreamscape 152 Jean Lariviere Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape overview Red area Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Split across different coloured zones, with light from tinted windows, most works here requires more than a cursory look – especially for the animated pieces.

The Dreamscape 029 Optical Arts Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape 017 Ben Ditto Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape 172 Gloria Steinem Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape overview Yellow area 2 Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape 033 Kidsuper Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape 116 Brooklyn Balloon Company by Robert Moy Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape 143 Cheng Ran Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape overview Grey area 1 Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Thankfully, every piece of work at the exhibition has a QR code. Scanning it will land you into a virtual catalogue, that helps to elucidate the mysterious concepts behind some creations, including a particular trunk with precisely-machined moving parts.

The Dreamscape 026 Willo Perron Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape 024 Alaska Alaska trunk Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape overview bright red area 2 Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The last area, in bright red, comprises some of the most whimsical ideas.

The Dreamscape 121 Derek Blasberg Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The Dreamscape 006 Kate Daudy Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The BTS Trunk

BTS Trunk special room at Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The trunk designed by BTS gets special treatment – it’s ensconced in a room away from everything else. The walls and flooring are reproductions of each side of the trunk.

BTS Trunk special room flooring at Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

The flooring copied the design from the top of the BTS trunk, which is quite hard to see given the glass casing.

BTS Trunk special room side at Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

There’s even a wall for fans to draw on.

The Audio Speakeasy

Jukebox Room 061 Benji B side view Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

After the BTS experience, the last room is an ‘audio speakeasy’, with a unique jukebox trunk created by Benji B, the sound director for Louis Vuitton’s Menswear shows.

Jukebox Room 061 Benji B control deck Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Here you can sit down for a while and enjoy some music (selected by an exhibition host).

Jukebox Room 061 Benji B handle view Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Jukebox Room 061 Benji B front view Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

Take in one last look at this jukebox trunk.

Back to the Beginning

Foyer Library and Books at Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore

You’re back at the first room of the exhibition, where you can browse through some Louis Vuitton City Guides and Books, or pick up the Louis 200 catalogue and tote bag.

The Louis 200 event poster is also available here for grabs as you leave – this is a free souvenir from the exhibition.

200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries: The Exhibition in Singapore Info

Louis Vuitton 200 Trunks 200 Visionaries Exhibition Singapore entrance Marina Bay Sands event plaza

200 Trunks, 200 Visionaries: The Exhibition
Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza, 10 Bayfront Avenue
From now till 27 April 2022, 10AM – 10PM daily
Free Admission, reserve tickets at this website. Walk-ins also allowed.

Louis Vuitton Island Maison Marina Bay Sands Singapore Louis 200 decoration

Visit the Louis Vuitton Marina Bay Sands store for more magic trunks on display, and actual trunks that you can buy if you have Permission To Spend.

Louis Vuitton Island Maison store Marina Bay Sands Singapore Louis 200 store display

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