Odissea Takes Over Paris
By Christine Jiang
I lived in Paris, back in 2016. I had still not started odissea, but looking back it was part of the beginning of the journey.
This experience has a huge influence in who I am and what I do now. Even tho many years have gone by, I still remember how it felt walking down the streets - the emotions, the noises, the air, the feelings, they were all something I had never experienced before. The monochromatic gloomy streets made me nostalgic, but in them I found a huge feeling of grandeur. Everything about Paris makes it seem like a dream. Knowing the history, art and beauty found within the most mundane details makes it hard to grasp.
I fell in love with it, and I fell in love for the first time as well. It is a place where I have fond memories of a young and wandering soul, and this will always make it home.
When Christine told me she was going to explore Paris for a shoot, I knew that Odissea had to be part of it. After our last collaboration, Ocean Goddess, I knew she was someone who would capture not only the jewelry but she would create a story around it. And here it is!
“Odissea taking over Paris”
CJ: “ I wasn’t sure what to expect when I arrived in Paris. I had my camera and odissea jewelry with me, so I was sure I’d find a spark of inspiration somewhere in the city of lights. During the first few days, as I wandered street after street - seeing the romantic architecture and the sun set over the sleepy Seine river sparked my imagination of possibilities.
I played tourist for a few days while scouting locations - The Eiffel Tower, The Opera Garnier, Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame - they all looked exactly as I had imagined. What took me by surprise, however, was The Louvre. Its sheer size, set against the grandeur of a Renaissance Palace, was in itself an artistic feat unlike anything I had ever seen. Standing there gazing at the top of the pyramid made me feel small yet energized, and I felt a spark - this was the place.
On the day of the shoot, we arrived on location just before sun down. Crowds lined up for the museum filled the Louvre’s courtyard as we scoured the space for the perfect spot. Around 20:40 (the sun sets late in Parisian summer) the light became soft and subtle, which was just what I had hoped for. We ventured towards the NW corner of the courtyard, away from the swarms of people, and violà - the perfect spot - a long, graceful corridor with high arched ceilings. Strangely, there were no crowds and Clèmence stepped into the middle of the hallway, wearing odissea. The jewelry brought a sparkle to the museum’s massive facade, as we played with poses and experimented with locations.
The vision I’d imagined in my head unfolded in front of us: sophisticated, elegant, bold baubles of silver, enveloped by an amazing panorama of art and history.
Looking at the pictures now, while I am back in New York, they remind me of the feelings I felt while shooting that day. The energy - working with an international team, bridging the modern with the historic, in a place that has housed some of the most significant works of art known to man - fills my soul. It is a universal feeling I know many creatives strive for; it's what keeps us going. We may have only been there for a split-second relative to the Louvre’s extraordinary lifetime, but this feeling is what lasts.
À Tout, Parigi!
XX
