Perfumed Planets #1 – Saturn and Sillage
As my work for my upcoming solo show in Blackburn is ticking along nicely I thought it appropriate to dedicate the next three weeks arriving at some important creative decisions concerning my upcoming exhibition in Athens, entitled ‘Wonderer’. I will use this blog to place my initial thoughts towards in the hope that, over time, such thoughts will crystallise and develop into something viable.
Essentially, Wonderer will see me design three scented experiences based on three planets – Uranus, Jupiter and Saturn. In the spirit of establishing cross-cultural connections between the UK and Greece, I will approach considerations of these planets from a mythological standpoint. As such, Saturn becomes Kronos, Uranus becomes Oranus and Jupiter becomes Zeus.
I begin, for reasons that can only be described as arbitrary, with Kronos. A cursory glance at the mythical history of Kronos point towards a titan that ruled during a golden age, depicted with a scythe – representational of family turmoil – while also being associated with harvest.
So what can we gleam from that from the point of view of a fine art perfumer wishing to utilise Kronos to construct a scented narrative? Instantly, a harvest evokes a multitude of food-based wonders, from fruits and citrus to spices and herbs. All of which could influence the design of a scented experience. But of course, Kronos also alludes to time, and therefore a fragrance could be constructed that takes advantage of the lingering nature of some oils. Dill weed, for example, has a certain weight about it that stays fixed in the air for some time. Could I therefore call on the physical properties of scent to devise a heavy, lingering experience that alludes to Kronos’s connection with time?
Only time will tell…
