This week has been one of those weeks. You know, one that has involved a lot of ‘thinking’ and ‘research’ but without any actual making?
I have a natural tendency to feel disheartened about such a week; it feels unproductive and lethargic. Yet in reality I think those weeks act as groundwork to actually instigate coherent creative action, and without them your endeavours become rudderless and vague. So I’m sure in hindsight I’ll feel as though the last week has been worthwhile.
Anyway, what I have been doing this week is thinking about planets and researching how to translate the mythology found within planets into a fragrant artistic experience.
I have three planets to contemplate, and the work produced will form part of an exhibition in Athens in May. Exhibiting internationally gives me a prudent opportunity to instigate a cross cultural examination of how scent and perfume is perceived differently. In this instance, I seek to relate the connotations of planets derived from Greek Mythology to our collective understanding of scent and the affecting qualities of scent upon an audience. It’s no mean feat! But hopefully success will result in a renewed understanding of the possibilities of fragrance.
I exhibited in Athens last year, and used the opportunity to create a speculative ‘grand tour’ of Europe. It became about how the acquisition of knowledge would be achieved through travel if scent was our primary means of communication, and it also regarded how cross-cultural perceptions are re-imagined and re-told when you return to home soil:
I’m very much looking forward to another Athens adventure this year. And hopefully for years to come!
