PARIS – What occurs when sculptures and fragrances combine? Fascinating, newfangled four-dimensional creations.
That’s a principal takeaway from “Profile By,” an exhibition on show at Phillips in Paris till June 25. There, six artists have been paired with six perfumers from IFF to conceive artworks, which have been made in restricted editions of as much as 50. (Prices are on-demand.)
The challenge is the brainchild of Diane Thalheimer, a perfume knowledgeable and artwork collector.
“From the start we created extremely thoughtful duos – in terms of character, personality and the potential links that could be created between the two,” she defined.
Artist Joana Vasconcelos was partnered with perfumer Anne Flipo, for example.
“I asked Anne to help me make a perfume that was related to the seven chakras,” stated Vasconcelos. “I discovered the dimension of scent to be very religious, as a result of it really diffuses in house and fills it.
“Lança Perfume”
Courtey of “Profile By”
“Yet the sculptural side is very physical; it is something that exists in the first dimension. While the scent is something a bit like music,” she continued. “We are all marked by physicality – by our body – but also by our perfume. It is part of our identity.”
The artist discovered the challenge fascinating to work on, not least as a result of it used the inverse course of to how she usually envisions her paintings – dreaming up sculptures to fill massive areas. At Phillips, her small, colourful crocheted oeuvres, with six protruding branches, known as “Lança Perfume” (or “Spear Perfume”), dangle from the ceiling in somewhat, makeshift room.
“Here, [the sculpture] is very small but it diffuses perfume in the entire space,” stated Vasconcelos.
Flipo stated every chakra corresponded to a sequence of olfactive substances, and that Vasconcelos went for these which can be essentially the most upbeat, after visiting the IFF workplace and reviewing Flipo’s palette of scent notes.
“The [fragrance] formula is not very long – there are 17 ingredients,” she stated, of the recent incense perfume that was created.
Vasconcelos scented every ceramic piece that’s lined with crochet.
“Now, I have the impression that I’m going to put perfume in all the sculptures,” she exclaimed.
When Thalheimer approached Hubert Le Gall for his or her “Profile By” challenge, he considered a topic that had been obsessing him: mythology.
“I liked the idea of a vase, an object which contains the perfume,” stated Le Gall. “I wanted to make the perfume of Dionysus. Dionysus resembles me the most – I speak of loving life, dance, excesses, terrestrial pleasures,” he stated. “I call this ‘The Heart of Dionysus.’”
“Le coeur de Dionysos”
Courtesy of “Profile By”
The artist gestured to a cracked vase with two branch-like varieties on both facet. Those might be interpreted in some ways – as two aortas leaving a coronary heart, a bull’s head with horns or life’s comedy (the facet sprouting inexperienced bulbs) and tragedy (the facet minimize brief), for example.
Le Gall informed perfumer Jean-Christophe Hérault that he wished a carnal scent.
“I didn’t want something floral, delicate. I wanted something that spoke of all that… of an uninhibited god,” stated Le Gall.
“I adore history and antiquity – it’s a period I find extremely rich,” stated Hérault, who was reminded of “Letters from a Stoic” by Seneca. From there he was guided within the perfume creation by the duality of stoicism and extra.
“I used aromatic essences that we could have found during Antiquity in different forms,” he stated, naming the likes of myrtle, myrrh, marjoram, oregano, mint and thyme. “It’s something extremely sensual.”
“Aromatic and sexual,” added Le Galle, whose vase accommodates the scented ceramic ball.
Another work was created by artist Pablo Reinoso and perfumer Domitille Michalon-Bertier, who’ve identified one another for greater than 15 years. Before partnering collectively on the “Profile By” challenge, Michalon-Bertier visited Reinoso’s atelier. Next they started smelling uncooked substances.
Reinoso had stored in thoughts a males’s scent, which diffuses horizontally, that IFF had formulated however by no means marketed. From there, Reinoso and Michalon-Berier got here up with a woody luminous perfume.
Reinoso stated it was difficult to combine fragranced ceramic into his sculpture made out of chestnut wooden, known as “Rocking Me.”
“It’s this idea of continuity that made me think of this serpentine space,” stated Reinoso, who wished the murals to have the ability to transfer barely, capturing the thought of the motion of somebody sporting and giving off the scent of fragrance. “Technically it seems simple, but it’s very, very difficult to do this piece because there are three circles touching the ground.”
Perfumer Nicolas Beaulieu labored with sculptor Daniel Firman on a challenge involving lifelike bronze arms holding a fragranced ball of ceramic, known as “Saisir l’impossible (l’échappé)” (or “Seize the Impossible (Escaped)”).
“I thought this idea was extremely poetic,” stated Beaulieu, including not solely was the thought in regards to the fleeting nature of perfume, but additionally about destiny’s incontrollable nature.
He and Firman opted to work with the notion of a fabric nonexistent in perfumery – burnt wooden that’s chilly. They started by utilizing citrus oil to specific inexperienced wooden, a notice of flint stone and an accord of vetiver, cashmeran and oak wooden absolute, and a sandalwood notice from New Caledonia.
“There is something very addictive,” stated Beaulieu of the despatched.
Nearby stood the creation of perfumer Juliette Karagueuzoglou and artist Ori Gersht, entitled “Never Ending Journeys 01, 02, 03.” It features a white flower, woody scent.
“Never Ending Journeys 01, 01, 03”
Courtesy of “Profile By”
Images of flowers function on this paintings, proven across the round base that’s mirrored in a mirrored cylinder. The fragranced ceramic takes the type of a spherical globe sitting atop it.
“His favorite flower is the Madonna Lily, so I started with that,” stated Karagueuzolglou, talking of Gersht.
Perfumer Paul Guerlain teamed with artist Adel Abdessemed on a sculpture resembling a girl’s foot with its heel on a ball.
“Noli me tangere”
Courtesy of Profile By
“He spoke of Nice, sand, air, wood and fire,” stated Guerlain, who put collectively olfactive accords accordingly for a rose oriental scent that fragrances the oeuvre “Noli me tangere” (or “Touch Me Not”). “It was hyper interesting to work with someone from another universe, who expresses himself differently and arrive at this.”
For extra, see:
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