The Institute for Art and Olfaction

Last updated
The Institute for Art and Olfaction
Company type Non-profit
Industry Art, Perfume
Founded2012
Headquarters
Los Angeles
Area served
Worldwide
Services Education, The Art and Olfaction Awards, Project Space, Art Exhibitions, residencies, Radio
Website www.artandolfaction.com

The Institute for Art and Olfaction is a non-profit organization devoted to advancing public, artistic and experimental engagement with scent. [1] It was founded in 2012.

Contents

History

Described as "the West Coast's first organization to explore perfume in a larger arts context", [2] The Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO) was founded in October 2012 by Saskia Wilson-Brown. [3] The IAO opened its experimental studio to the public in downtown Los Angeles in March 2013, moving to Koreatown in March 2014 and to its home on Chung King Road in Chinatown, Los Angeles in March, 2015. The IAO was created to counterbalance what Wilson-Brown perceived as a lack of access and transparency in the fragrance industry. [4]

In January 2014, the IAO launched its first large-scale public arts project with 'A Trip to Japan in Sixteen Minutes, Revisited' [5] at the Hammer Museum. It has since collaborated with Miles Regis, Zoe Crosher, Andrew Berardini, Austin Young, Marcos Lutyens, Victor Wilde (Bohemian Society), Bettina Hubby, dublab, Jo Burzynska, Cat Jones, Aleesa Cohene, Snowblink, Erik Benjamins, Maxwell Williams, The Institute for New Feeling, Hilda Kozarii, Mateo Tannat / Public Fiction, Seth Bogart, Regina Mamou and Lara Salmon at Research for the Bermuda Triangle, Esmeralda Kosmatopoulous, and many more artists, writers and musicians. [6]

In April 2014, the IAO held the first annual Art and Olfaction Awards, a yearly awards mechanism designed to help celebrate excellence in independent and artisan perfumery. Subsequent award events were held at Goethe Institute Los Angeles, Hammer Museum, Silent Green Kulturquartier in Berlin, The Tabernacle in London, and Oude Kerk in Amsterdam.

Notable projects

Purpose

Part of The Institute for Art and Olfaction's mission is to create access to perfume education and materials, in line with Saskia Wilson-Brown's belief that perfumery is "inaccurately seen as elite." [22] The result is that the IAO is considered "[...] one of the few places in the country where anyone can learn about the history and process of perfumery." [22]

"[...] I found access to be extremely limited. [...] My approach is, 'Let's all learn together,' so I gathered the resources. And our weekly open-session workshops, part of our mission of creating access, welcome artists, designers, filmmakers, kids from East L.A., both men and women. [...] I am not particularly fascinated with perfume as a consumption project. My interest relates to my arts background. The institute is based on the potential to subvert the industry in some way to change how we think about luxury and beauty." [23]

The IAO has hosted talks and events by guest speakers including game designer Simon Niedenthal, scent culture scholar artist Claus Noppeney  [ de ], Gayil Nalls and USC professor James McHugh, and has presented workshops, classes or otherwise collaborated with The Getty Center, The Getty Villa, The Wallace Collection (UK), Otis College of Art and Design, Henry Art Gallery, The Natural History Museum Los Angeles, Fowler Museum at UCLA, Huntington Library and Gardens, Scent Culture Institute, amongst others. [24]

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References

  1. ↑ "MISSION". The Institute for Art and Olfaction. 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  2. ↑ Churchill, Abbye (2013-10-07). "The Institute of Art and Olfaction". PAPERMAG. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  3. ↑ Prasinos, Chloe (February 22, 2015). "The Scents And Sensibility Of LA's Nosy New Perfume Enthusiasts". NPR. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  4. ↑ Tu, Chau (March 12, 2015). "The Art of Scent in Los Angeles". Science Friday. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  5. ↑ Wagley, Catherine (2014-01-11). "A 'Scent Concert' at the Hammer Museum". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  6. ↑ "ARCHIVE". The Institute for Art and Olfaction. 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  7. ↑ Hendry, Erica R. (January 10, 2014). "Traveling to Japan—Through a Symphony of Smells". Smithsonian. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  8. ↑ Nelson, Steffie (2013-12-09). "Something is in the Air at Saskia Wilson-Brown's Latest Exhibition". W Magazine. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  9. ↑ Painter, Alysia Gray (February 25, 2016). "The Scent of a UFO: An Echo Park Exploration". NBC Southern California. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  10. ↑ Montefiore, Clarissa Sebag (October 13, 2015). "The Movie You Can Smell". BBC. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  11. ↑ "Portvin, græs og Ajax: Sådan lugter filmen 'Holiday In Spain'". DR. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  12. ↑ "Batman and smells at TCM Classic Film Festival". Reuters. 2016-05-03. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  13. ↑ Kissick, Dean (May 13, 2016). "turning the world of fragrance on its head at the aix scent fair | read | i-D". i-D. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  14. ↑ Twilley, Nicola (March 23, 2015). "What Did Qaddafi's Death Smell Like?". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  15. ↑ Russell, Stefene (2016-06-24). "Telling St. Louis Stories With Scent at The Pulitzer". St. Louis Magazine. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  16. ↑ "LOVE POTION NO. 9". The Institute for Art and Olfaction. 2015-01-06. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  17. ↑ "Little Trees Mural". The Institute for Art and Olfaction. 2015-04-22. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  18. ↑ "Art Olfaction Amsterdam". Mediamatic. Retrieved 2018-07-21.
  19. ↑ "Van Eyck Reloaded".
  20. ↑ "'2018 Experimental Scent Summit Details Revealed', Perfumer & Flavorist Magazine, April 6, 2018=".
  21. ↑ "Open Sourcing Smell Culture".
  22. 1 2 Bartlett, James (2015-12-03). "Anyone Can Make Perfume at This School in Chinatown". L.A. Weekly. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
  23. ↑ Schmidt, Ingrid (December 31, 2014). "Institute for Art and Olfaction elevates the scents". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
  24. ↑ "PARTNERS". The Institute for Art and Olfaction. 2012-09-18. Retrieved 2016-10-15.
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