bodywork0:44
bodywork0:44
subject/object, real/representational, people/things, mind/body, form/substance, body/soul etc.
Modernity has often been characterised in terms of its operation of dualisms. Over the past few decades the social sciences have witnessed an increasing interest in the body and analyzed embodied aspects of action, social interaction and meaning-making. This clip draws attention to the perfumer’s body as an active player in the process. Bodily practices are shown as a potential resource to produce value: Labour exists as «a resource in the bodiliness of the worker», Karl Marx once noticed in his influential value theory. Scents actually penetrate and involve the human body. However, once a scent becomes part of olfaction, its status as object is completely lost in the body and in the experience of olfaction The perfumer’s body serves as the origin point for all olfactory knowledge and experience. It is the basic source of information and comprehension that gives rise to brief intuitive observations. These observations are often articulated by the perfumer using surprisingly emotional, experiential and sensorial vocabulary. In fact, we seldom heard perfumers use the technical vocabulary we anticipated based on our preparatory readings. The role of the body in perfumery is certainly an extreme case. Yet, a deeper understanding of this practice helps to traverse modernity’s dualisms.
The beauty contest1:50
The beauty contest1:50
Longevity, projection and sillage is not the full story...
Following an experimental approach, the perfumer repeatedly needs to evaluate the results of his formula revisions. This clip zooms in on this specific situation. «This is gorgeous!». Christophe seems to be happy. We witness a deep satisfaction. The evaluation goes beyond longevity, projection and sillage – criteria that are often used to measure the technical performance of a perfume. All this might happen silently under the surface. However, what we see is the creator’s deep affection for his creation, as if he were treating it as an attractive person.
No one can smell pepper1:21
No one can smell pepper1:21
Modification by modification Christophe seeks a numerical feedback on digital scent technology project.
In an increasingly digital world the proximate senses of smell, touch and taste stand out. One cannot capture a smell and send it like a photo via email or other digital communication service. At least not yet. Nevertheless digital scent technology is a vibrant field attracting smart minds all over the world. As a perfumer, Christophe Laudamiel has been involved with some cutting edge projects from the very beginning.
During our observations Christophe developed some realistic scents (e.g. pepper, croissant; French bread etc.) that could work with some innovative digital scent transmission applications. In fact, it was a surprise to see how much the technology of the application can be a challenge to the design of a fragrance. Thus, the choice of a raisin as a carrier material can have a huge impact on the formula. In this case the evaluation followed a more systematic procedure as this clip shows: How precisely does this modification capture the desired scent? In other words: Is this really pepper? And how strong is the scent within the application? In other words: How strong is the pepper? Modification by modification Christophe Laudamiel seeks Christoph Hornetz’s numerical feedback on both questions.
Back to origins1:40
Back to origins1:40
Moving forward can actually imply going back to an earlier version.
In theory, the development process unfolds as incremental steps of improvement. In practice, however, progress is often less clear. This is particularly the case in cultural products that serve an aesthetic, rather than a clearly utilitarian purpose. Standards of quality for creative products derive from abstract ideas rather than clearly defined technical standards and performance features. Creative industries sell identities and experiences. Cultural goods «derive their value from subjective experiences that rely heavily on using symbols in order to manipulate perception and emotion». Consequently, a perfume is increasingly valued for its meaning. «I may like the grapefruit now again», Christophe remarks incidentally in this clip. He had just moved from working with blotters to evaluating selected scent modifications on his skin. Moving forward can actually imply going back to an earlier version.
