As part of Hennessy’s 250th anniversary, the world’s most celebrated cognac has commissioned a ground-breaking dynamic light installation for Harrods’s luxury window display this October.

Hennessy has partnered with MPC Creative to create a one-off installation, a stunning and unique modern take on a long-standing optical illusion. The piece will be on view in Harrods from 1^st October as part of the iconic store’s ‘Cover to Cover’ theme for the autumn. The Installation, entitled ‘Crafted Light’, has been designed to celebrate Hennessy’s heritage of innovation and craftsmanship, displaying visual content which brings to mind the very essence of the cognac itself through golden hues and abstract fluid motion graphics.

Mary Rochester Gearing, Senior Brand Manager, Hennessy UK said: “Hennessy has been at the forefront of innovation in the Cognac category for 250 years. Given the importance of this year, we wanted to create a visionary piece to capture the essence of Hennessy and that embodies the philosophy of crafting the future – MPC Creative have done this perfectly through ‘Crafted Light’.”

“Crafting the Future is integral to Hennessy with the eaux de vie selected each year beginning an orchestrated process of maturation that may not see them used for generations when Hennessy’s future tasting committee may choose to blend them. Harrods provides the perfect space to display the installation.”

An additional 3-dimensional twist has been added to Hennessy and MPC’s installation to create animations visible in 360 degrees, with palpable volume and depth. The image on the screens appears to float in space through the holographic effect of the spinning screens.

MPC Creative’s Interactive Creative Director, Andre Assalino, said "As a drop of condensation on a soda bottle provokes thirst, the golden light refraction of the cognac through the bottom of the snifter glass evokes a sense of rich luxury. To recreate that effect digitally, we went through challenging, yet rewarding, mechanical R&D and motion design exploration using a modern “persistence of vision” technique. Through 3 abstract animations, we were able to convey Hennessy’s timeless qualities and traditions, creating an experience that reflects the brand’s premium values. Knowing the installation was going to be displayed in one of Harrods’ windows, added that extra bit of motivation to ensure we created something truly memorable."

The Crafted Light installation was based on Full Turn, an installation designed by Benjamin Muzzin for his 2013 diploma project at ECAL/University of Art and Design, Lausanne.