On the Nose

For the last episode of this very delayed On the Nose season, I finally get to share one of my many conversations with the always engaging Yosh Han. 

This conversation was recorded back in July 2021 before Scent Festival in September 2021 and still has absolute relevancy now, to the point that we brought up some of the very same issues and perspectives at this year's Scent Festival 2022 Re-Orientation panel.

We cover it all, from being born in between cultures and what that entails, to using our differences to engage in new conversations and realizing that there is where power lies.

We of course discuss the important topic of evolving the 'O' category in perfume/fragrance classification as well as the need for new perspectives directly from members of the global majority. 

Yosh really believes that fear is the gateway to evolution, and by working through fear, we can really achieve change, which is where true alchemy lies. Yosh's metaphors in this episode and in general, go unparalleled! 

We call for progress within our industry, we cannot shy away from the fact that perfume is political, social, cultural and absolutely community-based. 

Appropriating in the name of fantasy and storytelling will only create more confusion, if we continue with stereotyping and more vagueness (geographic, cultural, all of it) we perpetuate misleading narratives that don't serve us our industry. 

By acknowledging & respecting people and their cultures -  we consider how and where perfumes are made, who benefits and who doesn't. This helps us learn, re-orient and evolve.

Important points:

If you know better, do better.

Evolve and Involve.

The future is inclusive.

Interpretation vs Appropriation 

Embrace regional perfumery, in order to create nuance. 

Wherever you are, you are in the right place. 

Definitions/Distinctions: 

Mukhallat - Arabic for "mixed or blended" - Regional blend of saffron + rose + oud (used most often in the GCC countries)

Khaleeji - Loosely means 'from the gulf' in Arabic - refers to the area and people of several countries on the Arabian Peninsula and of the GCC. 

Congee (porridge) vs. Kanji (language)

Other things we mentioned: 

Suheir Hammad - Not Your Exotic 

Petition to update & re-classify Oriental category in perfumery.

Diverse Talent in Perfumery database.

Sound Used: 

Pisces Binaural Beats 

Saskia Wilson-Brown (of the esteemed Institute for Art & Olfaction) and I were lucky enough to interview five talented individuals, all of whom have had experience with scent & sound in one way or another. 

We start with Saskia interviewing me, so you get to know how I connect the two mediums while touching on the vibrational theory of both.

Then we had a fascinating conversation with Peter de Cupere, whose work intersects with technology, explains what the Odophone is and “shows” us some of his futuristic gadgets and more! 

YoYo Fearless gave us really great insight into how status and scent are related in hip hop, putting us in the mind of a performer as well as if flow and scent have anything in common.

Heather D’Angelo shared her thoughts on how scent & sound are connected, with lots of experience as a member of the band Au Revoir Simone. 

While Chavalia Mwamba, also a perfumer and musician, talks about using music to process grief, breaks down the notes and some of the perfume lingo we use, all of which happen to connect with music. 

Finally, we end with Kaya Sorhaindo, whose work with many artists from all sorts of mediums paved the way for many multi-sensory ideas, his perspective as a creative director brings us full circle. 

Some of the musicians we mentioned: 

Lunice

Hanorah

Kallitechnis

Meryem Saci

Arooj Aftab (Vulture Prince) 

The project I mentioned with my friend: Nadine Altounji, The Stories that Tie Us To trees

Stevie Wonder - The Secret Life of Plants

Mort Garson - (Mother Earth's) Plantasia

Perfumers mentioned: 

Ashley Eden Kessler

Septimus Piesse

Mark Buxton 

Music attribute: Billy Wuot - “7h45 making her coffee”

Soundcloud 

White Noise, Pure noise 3, free for use

[No Copyright Music] Chill Lofi Hip Hop Beat FREE Instrumental (Copyright Free) Chillhop Music

On loop: sound piece by Ibo Bakker called ‘Audeur’ based on the poem ‘Ritratto olfattivo di una donna’ by Marinetti (1932)

I met Caro at one of her talks at Concordia University, while she was visiting Montreal. This encounter was very meaningful for me as I had started exploring the role of olfaction in culture, society, and history and had discovered the Centre for Sensory Studies shortly before. 

We talk about Futurism (1910-1940), our sharing of synesthetic experience together with Piet Devos, Caro's introduction into olfactory art history and the importance of tracing aromatic heritage. We further delve into synesthesia, cross-modal perception and ideasthesia while approaching & imagining scent differently by using other senses/modalities.

We also explore the use of scent in space IRL post-Covid, scented letters anyone? 

Then more on Caro's projects including Odorbet (with Catherine Haley Epstein) and Odorama and I ask Caro what she imagines the Futurists would think about our use of scent and its role in our society today. 

With her little one joining us, tapping about, we talk about the scent of breast milk and the strange taboo we have about consuming it, then we explore the divine scent of a baby’s head and how a baby can recognize its mother’s smell. We also touch upon Proustian memory and explore some of the scents that make Caro nostalgic.

Finally, Caro shares something you might not know about the world of olfaction!

Thank you, Caro, for all the work you have done and continue to do. Since recording this episode, she has completed her PhD and is now working on Odeuropa, a pan-European project on European olfactory heritage led by Inger Leemans.  Please follow her work here.

Names mentioned: 

Marinetti

Piet Devos 

David Howes (Sensory Studies, Concordia + Aroma: A Cultural History of Smell) - I highly recommend this book! 

Sadakichi Hartmann - Odoresque + A Trip to Japan in Sixteen Minutes (revisited by Saskia Wilson-Brown at The Institute for Art & Olfaction)

Paul Signac

Felix Fénéon

Charles Henri

Septimus Piesse

Patrick Süskind

Constance Classen

Asifa Majid

Maurizio Martinucci - Displace 2.0 with David Howes 

Maria Montessori

Materials and perfumes mentioned: 

Lemon 

Frankincense

Almonds

Cedar

Neon Graffiti

Anaïs Anaïs

Shout outs to Fariha Roisin, Yosh Han and The Institute for Art & Olfaction. 

Materials mentioned:

Nutmeg

Marigold /Tagete

Mastic gum

“Cardamom is our shit”

Saffron

Safraleine

Spices

Henna

Indolene

Blue Lotus

Mitti Attar

Violet Absolute

Sandalwood

Curry

Heliotrope 

Perfumes mentioned: 

Mala

How You Love

Namaka

Fayoum

Solar’1