From 21st June to 17th September 2017 an exhibition dedicated to perfume is held at the Somerset House in London with the partnership of Givaudan Fragrances, Coty, Liberty and Peroni Ambra.
The galleries will transform into a series a scent-based installations showcasing the inspirations and skills of modern perfumery.
The exhibition Perfume : A Sensory Journey Through Contemporary Scent explore’s today’s scent through the work of the perfume pioneers, from the past two decades. These pivotal perfumers have been carefully selected by Somerset House Senior Curator Claire Catterall and Lizzie Ostrom, the fragrance writer also known as Odette Toilette for the creativity and ingenuity they bring to their work. Whether self-taught or classically trained each perfumer withhin the exhibition challenges a long held convention in scent design – from creation and communication, to gender and good taste – pushing their craft in daring olfactory directions.
The exhibitions put scent in the spotlight, inviting visitors to provide a personal response and contribute their individual interpretations to each of the exhibited fragrances. A « note-book » will be presented to audiences on arrival to record their impressions.
Instead of the traditional texts panels to guide the visitor on their olfactory journey, each room will include visual, auditory and tactile references to the identity and influences of ther perfumer. Installations will reflect the inspirations of the scents in their design, from a sandy desert to the Scottish Highlands, a Catholic confessional to a lover’s boudoir. Only after experiencing each installation will the full story of the scent be revealed, so audiences can bring together their personal interpretation with the intention of the perfumer.
The ten perfume provocateurs are :
Daniela Andrier – Purple Rain (2015)
Mark Buxton – Comme des garçons 2 (1999)
Bertrand Duchaufour – Avignon (2002)
Olivia Giacobetti – En passant (2000)
Lyn Harris – Charcoal (2016)
Antoine Lié – Sécrétions Magnifiques (2007)
David Seth Moltz – EL Cosmico (2007)
Geza Shcoen – Molécule 01 (2007)
Andy Trauer – L’air du désert marocain (2005)
Killian Wells – Dark Side (2015)
The show will also feature a fully functioning laboratory stocked with over 200 ingredients. Visitors will be able to interact with and get instructions from professionals, seeing up close the skill and science if the perfumer and take part in hands-on workshops.
