The NGV is currently exhibiting, “Hyper Natural: Scent from Design to Art” an olfactory exhibition, curated by Chandler Burr, New York Times perfume critic and author. The first of it’s kind in Australia, Chandler has an exhibition in the NGV’s garden, 7 Guerlain fragrances paired besides their main key design ingredient molecules for comparison. The exhibition illustrates the story and history of olfactory design and innovation and presents the unsuspecting visitor with a visceral exploration of this overlooked design medium.
In his keynotes talk, Chandler explained how new scent materials have a huge impact on the way “olfactory-works” (what we have known up to now as fragrances), are designed. Referring to synthetic materials only, he explains how these freed the designers from the limitations of nature allowing them to introduce new, impossible scent designs ranging from Abstract Expressionism to Surrealism and Photo-Realism. The talk and exhibition really serve to shift visitor’s perceptions of scent and shine a light onto the fascinating and under-acknowledged medium of design.
The exhibition runs from the 25th of September to the 30th of November 2014 at the National Gallery Victoria
For more information on the exhibition, visit the NGV website.