Guest Contributor post by Julie Pasila
“Odors have a power of persuasion stronger than
that of words, appearances, emotions, or will. The persuasive power of an odor
cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fills us
up, imbues us totally. There is no remedy for it.”
The above quotation was lifted from one of my
favourite books, Patrick Süskind’s Perfume. I don’t want to give anything away because this book is a
truly great read; suffice to say, Perfume is a beautiful story about the
incredible power of scent. We all
know this power: the way scent can influence moods, lure a memory out from hiding, set
the tone of a space, etc.
Scent is an influential thing, yet we don’t hear
too much about it in art or design. That's why the work of one young Icelandic artist has caught
my attention.
Andrea Maack is a visual artist who has facilitated
an amazing and unexpected collaboration between the visual and the olfactory
realms. In July 2010, Maack debuted
a line of fragrances for an exhibition titled Eau de Parfum. Each
fragrance in the show began as a visual work; Maack created a series of
intricate, delicate drawings in pencil and ink and handed these works off to
perfumers as a kind of briefing.
The perfumers then created scents inspired by solely by these images.
Maack works closely with her perfumers while
still allowing them to exercise their full creative talents as her
collaborators, making this a really wonderful and true partnership. I had the opportunity to smell of a few
of the scents here in Reykjavik and they really are fantastic. It’s easy to see
(or smell?) why this project has been such a great success since it's debut.
Maack’s perfumes are currently available at a
few select locations in Europe and North America. Check out the store locator on her website for a retailer
near you (she also has an online shop).
All images courtesy of andreamaack.com.
*****
Julie Pasila is a Canadian multidisciplinary artist &
writer. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Documentary Media from Ryerson
University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art & English Literature from
the University of Guelph. She is currently available for freelance assignments
and exhibitions in Canada and abroad.
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