And Viktor & Rolf’s “Alternative No. 1″ turns perfume into performance art: a darkened room, an advertising image, a fragmented perfume bottle made from pieces of other vessels, and a fragrance that is both scent and stench invite viewers to participate and evoke reactions like intrigue and disgust, the way the best conceptual art and fashion always ought to do.
— From The Moment blog at the New York Times. The article is about The Art of Fashion, an exhibit now appearing at the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen in Rotterdam. The exhibit "explores the boundaries of fashion" and also includes works by Naomi Filmer, Hussein Chalayan and others; it will run through January 10th of next year.
I can’t tell if this is exciting, or just too gimmicky for words, but it’s caught my attention. Has anyone tracked down the notes for this “stench”?
They did something sort of similar before they got into “commercial perfume”: they did a launch that was just an empty bottle — sort of an send-up on the whole idea of fragrance launches. Now that they’re “in the business” (and their fragrances are so blatantly commercial), it doesn’t seem so biting.
Oh, but no, have not tried to find the notes.
And yet that bottle, or “bottle”, is a most arresting object, isn’t it? There may be nothing inside it, there may not even be any “inside” to put anything into, it may be just one of V&R’s little jokes, but I like the way they think. It reminds me of this watch (URL broken into two parts so it will fit):
http://www.coolthings.com/diesel-dz4160-freak-of-nature-the-frankenstein-watch/
Having said that, I thought Antidote was terribly boring. Maybe another of their little jokes?
It is! I wonder how big it is in real life? I’m envisioning it several feet tall, in which case I’d like one! The watch — interesting, but don’t want one.
Now I could definitely do both!
Okay….
Huh? *scratching head* I’m just not intellectual enough for perfume performance art. lol
Not sure there’s much here to “get”
Both this and a new CdG fragrance in one day? When it rains it pours! I wish there were more “conceptual” scents available commercially. I think they could actually be money makers – the Burger King Flame sold out at all my local Ricky’s. Demeter and CB IHP both sell unusual scents in small quantities at low prices ($6-20) and I’ll bet periodic releases of “conceptual” scents if small and cheap could do quite well.
Agree! Although sounds like this one is meant to smell bad.
Depends on what you need from your perfume, I guess. My perfume needs to smell great on me, make me feel better because I can smell it, and it helps when it’s affordable. A pretty bottle is a bonus, but it isn’t necessary. That’s about it.
Performance art mascara, anyone? Didn’t think so.
“Performance art mascara” — ha!
Sounds a damn sight more interesting than their newest, Godzilla or whatever it’s called. Saccharine floral vat B.
Might actually stop by the Boijmans to see this exhib – sounds fun.
LOL…it probably is more interesting! Tell us about it if you go…
I went to R’dam, so as promised: it’s ehm, conceptual. The bottle is a tiny little thing, 7,5 cms tall perhaps, on a pedestal in a darkened room with a spotlight on it. The bottle looks surprisingly amateurishly assembled: you can easily see the rough edges where the perspex of the separate parts has been sawed off. Undoubtedly that’s an artistic statement, too. Behind it a slightly disturbing “ad” of a model with a bottle cap (?) in her mouth. The whole thing is encased in a hut-sized wooden crate, shrouded in complete darkness, with only a few footlights to guide you to the pedestal. I never smelled any of the reputed stench, but it just may be that my own SotD overpowered it, lol.
A bit pretentious, but still an accurate observation on how appearance is everything, in perfume marketing – and it definitely fitted within the context of the exhib. I was also amused to find the whole CdG Synthetic Series on display, with a caption lauding Rei Kawabuko for creating unwearable(!) anti-‘fumes. Guess the curators never found BN.
Actually, my favourite part of the whole thing was not the perfumes but Naomi Filmer’s oddly sculptural/conceptual jewellery. Can’t seem to find pics of the ones on exhibition, but they’re ethereal and fluid and heavy and odd – I’m in love.
Oh, thank you so much for the very detailed description! Would love to find an image of the ad. But what a shame you couldn’t smell it.
And cracked up at the “unwearable” Synthetic series.