The exhibit Hyper-Natural: Scent from Art to Design will open at the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne later this month. Hyper-Natural is curated by Chandler Burr and the sponsors include Guerlain…
The meal begins with vetiver-scented sweet potato cake
The meal begins with vetiver-scented sweet potato cake, which makes us gasp with surprise at the power of its perfume. It’s followed by Pan seared scallops, wrapped in the familiar scent of sandalwood. Then comes a cheery pink rose and strawberry sorbet. All three demonstrate that Barry’s premise that essential oils — the building blocks of perfume — behave very differently from spices, pastes and powders.
— Perfumer Nicolas de Barry hosts a scent dinner at the Taj Coromandel in Chennai. Read more at Vetiver-scented cake, anyone? at The Hindu.
Spice-laden air over the Strait of Bosphorus in the Middle Ages
...pine and cedar pulled from the imagined court of Louis XIV, spice-laden air over the Strait of Bosphorus in the Middle Ages, river water and hashish of modern-day Rotterdam. Those are the ones people might actually, you know, wear. There's also the New Jersey Turnpike during a rainstorm, air pollution in San Francisco, and fresh manure in the French countryside.
— some of the smells at Urban Olfactory: What does history smell like?, an exhibit at SPUR Urban Center in San Francisco. The exhibit runs through 31 March. Read more at Now You Can Experience the Nasty Stench of Cities Throughout History at The Atlantic, or check out the details at the SPUR website.
Armchair Parade at Dillon Gallery
‘Scent sculptor’ and perfumer Christophe Laudamiel is participating in Armchair Parade, a multimedia installation at Dillon Gallery in New York City. Also on view: puppets by Julian Crouch, films by Ragnar Freidank and The Big Boing (a handmade, 24-foot lamellophone created by Mark Stewart, which can be played by visitors)…
I blunder through more scents
I blunder through more scents. My attempt to describe a salty wine: ‘Pineapple’. A fragrance intended for a rugged, outdoorsy beefcake: ‘Ooh! Christmassy!’ At one point, I get so confused that I feel like I’ve just spent ten minutes sniffing a man. And I resort to the spittoon to avoid getting completely twatted. That’s right, ladies: I spit rather than swallow.
— Alexi Duggins of Now. Here. This. (possibly, the wrong person for the job) attends a Sip/Sniff wine and perfume event in London hosted by Odette Toilette and Berkmann Wine Cellars. Read more at Nose knows: how to find the perfect wine to go with your own scent, or read more about the event at Odette Toilette.