What is the beautiful and fresh world that 20-year-old photographer luka captures?
ENALLOID", an eyewear brand that has been transmitting new styles while respecting old standards, has collaborated with luka, a model and photographer. The colorful landscapes she photographed have been reborn as eyeglass wipes. To commemorate this encounter, a pop-up event "Who needs SUN for ENALLOID" was held at "blinc vase" and "HOEK" in Omotesando, Tokyo, to exhibit her photographs. We visited these two stores with luka and asked her about her feelings toward photography.
While working as a model Ryuka in various media such as advertisements and magazines, she also works as a photographer under the name "luka". Last year, she held her first photo exhibition titled "VOYAGE 2014-2017 luka. The exhibition featured photographs taken in various countries he has visited.
When I find a nice light or a beautiful color, my mind is taken by it.
Eneroid" creates eyewear that blends traditional and universal designs with the spice of the times. Items made at a factory in Gifu Prefecture based on the belief that "quality comes first" have proven their high level of quality.
When I picked them up, I immediately recognized their high quality. Plus, the designs are very basic and easy to wear."
She is also a model and photographer. luka has been working with Eneroid to produce invitations for calendars and exhibitions over the past year, which have been well received by many people. The response she received from many people was so positive that she decided to make eyeglass wipes as a "product" for the first time. The item is printed with her past photographs. To commemorate this collaboration, a pop-up event will be held at "Blink Base" and "Houk" in Omotesando, Tokyo. The two stores will not only sell the collaborated items, but will also exhibit her photographs.
SHOP1
blincvase
Our first stop was Brink's Base, an eyewear store located along Route 246. The walls of the store are covered with various eyewear, with "Enaroid" at the top of the list.
It is very rare to see eyeglass wipes with a photo printed on them. It's kind of strange (laughs). But it makes me happy to know that my picture is not only for looking at, but also for practical use.
She picked up a camera when she was in junior high school and has been looking at the world through a viewfinder ever since. The items in this collection are printed with images from when she first started taking photographs, as well as from photographs she took just this year.
I wanted you to see the photos I took in Vienna, Paris, London, Melbourne, Portland, and many other countries I have traveled to, so I selected these from the ones I have taken in the countries I have traveled to. Whenever I travel, I always take about 20 to 30 rolls of film with me. Sometimes I don't use up all of them, but there are moments when I think, "Ah! I have those moments when I want to take a picture. When I find a beautiful light or a beautiful color, my heart is captured.
I want you to feel like you are traveling.
Looking at her photographs, with their mixture of freshness, delicacy, and fragility, it is clear that she is a woman with a unique as well as a keen vision.
My father is a photographer, so he taught me how to use a camera at first, but I kept making mistakes at first. But I was not discouraged, and as I learned how to use the camera by taking more and more pictures, I gradually began to enjoy taking pictures. Now, I don't talk about photography with my father that much. But we do exchange information. He tells me, 'I hear that camera is good,' or 'You should try that lens.
SHOP2
HOEK
Eyewear ¥28,000-¥33,000+TAX
In addition to eyeglass wipes, T-shirts, zines, and photos on display are also available. ENALLOID × luka〉Glasses wipes (total 10 kinds) each ¥1,500+TAX * Also available at "blinc vase".
At Houk, the next stop, luka was interested in the cute yet somewhat delicate sundries: "All the products are cute and wonderful. I was especially attracted to the transparent glass ornaments.
In an age when digital technology is the mainstream, luka has always made a point of using film to take photographs and print them out as a tangible object.
Printing allows me to preserve them in the colors I'm particular about. Besides, I think that if you only keep the data, even if there are good photos, they will be buried. I print my photos and put them in an album for each trip. That way, I can look at them whenever I want to, and I can take my time looking at each photo.
Enaroid] sunglasses ¥33,000+TAX
Last year, she held the "VOYAGE" photography exhibition at a gallery in Ebisu, Tokyo. What did she see after her first exhibition?
There were all kinds of opinions. Some were happy, some were harsh. Based on that, I feel that the photos I want to take have become more concrete. I also felt that I wanted more people to see my photos. That is why I am happy to be able to exhibit in a store like this. I think it will be seen by a different audience than an exhibition."
Even when she is not traveling, she carries a camera with her on a regular basis and captures her daily life on film. She says, "It is difficult to discover new things in familiar landscapes, but if you look carefully, you can find interesting things. When asked about countries she would like to visit in the future, she replied, "I would like to go to the United States. The answer was, "I would like to visit the following countries in the future.
I want to go to Iceland and Mongolia. I would like to go to the annual music festival in Iceland, and in Mongolia, I happened to see a music video that was shot there and thought it was a great location. I happened to see a music video location in Mongolia that I thought was really cool. It was about a horse running through a desert-like landscape, and I was fascinated by the scenery. I would like to visit Mongolia someday.
When we asked luka about her future goals as a photographer, she answered with a lively expression on her face.
I would like to do another photo exhibition. I want to take more and more pictures for that. I want more people to see my photos than ever before.
She looks through her viewfinder in search of beautiful scenery and irreplaceable moments, and presents what she captures as a world full of beauty and positive light. Lastly, she told us what she wants her customers to feel through this pop-up event.
I took pictures of landscapes I saw overseas and colors I thought were beautiful. I would be happy if you feel like you are on a trip, even just a little, when you look at the scenery I have captured."
Period: June 29 (Friday) - July 22 (Sunday), 2018
Store：blinc vase, HOEK
*A limited number of eyeglass wipes are being given away as novelties.
blinc vase
Address: 3-5-16 Kita-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-3401-2835
Open: 12:00-20:00 weekdays / 11:00-20:00 weekends and holidays
(Closed on Mondays *If Monday is a national holiday, the office will be closed on Tuesday.)
Instagram:@blincvase
HOEK
Address: 406 Suzuki Mansion, 5-12-10 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Phone: 03-6805-0146
Open: 12:00-19:00 (closed Wednesday and Thursday)
Instagram:@hoek_shop
