SIX GREAT SCENTS FOR SUMMER including NUIT DE BAKÉLITE. Words by Ute Junker. Photos by Evie S/UnSplash + Supplied.
perfume
Fashion, magazine, Parfums, press
GARAGE MAGAZINE ISSUE 19, USA
The endless gray stretch of quarantine has warped time into units previously unknown to me, measuring hours by phantom presences. Perfume—a closetful of it, so many bottles and vials that I can barely shut the door, a reminder of past travels and smiles—has been a faithful companion during this disembodying hover-year. Its mirror: the pulled-down shades and soft dark envelopment of watching films, light flickering off a beat-up laptop, offering respite and another layer of other—real time—pass and melt. In both, vaporous, fickle media, ever-changing, light particles dancing off my face and skin, I surrender myself to their own inner workings, worlds, and pathways—they give my rolling, fretful, nearly-always-bursting-with-question-marks mind a chance to stop, collect itself, drift, play.
Where can my physical body go if it is locked indoors? I can transfer and inhabit, nibble, feed off, empathize, and fall in love with actors and scents, a new one a day, according to my mood. In losing yourself, you get re-embodied. My heart beats with different screens, varied scents. Here is a scattering of stars, ones who have nurtured me and provided escape and pleasure during this year, individualistic women who shine gemlike, inspire and dazzle, with fragrances dreamed and real paired with them.
Collage by Joy Matashi. Fashion Editor : Jared Ellner. Article by KASHINA, NOV. 2020
PEARL CHANG WOULD LOVE THE NOTES OF AMBER IN NUIT DE BAKÉLITE BY NAOMI GOODSIR, ENSCONCED BY THIS DRAMATIC, JEWEL-ENCRUSTED RING BY VALENTINO GARAVANI. SAIRA BANU SUMMONS ADAMEKU BY DI SER, SCENTED WITH MEDICINAL MUSKDANA AND CANTALOUPE, AND THIS EMERALD-EYED, ONYX-NOSED PANTHER RING BY CARTIER.TOP PEARL CHANG IN 'THE SHADOW CHASER' (1973), 'WOLF DEVIL WOMAN' (1982), 'THE WAR OF THE BOUNDARY' (1978) COURTESY OF HONG-KONG MOVIE DATABASE. BOTTOM: COURTESY OF ALAMY.
PEARL CHANG
The Taiwanese martial arts supernova behind the unclassifiable and fantastical Wolf Devil Woman (1982), Pearl Chang was a multi-talented director, writer, producer, star—often all at once. Her extreme energy spiraled in all directions. She tore through her kung fu epics with whirlwind power and lightning-bolt editing, whiplash-inducing battles fought in outrageous jeweled and tasseled headdresses, poles and swords flying through the air. Australian designer Naomi Goodsir has created perfumes as unpredictable, illogical, and daredevil as Pearl—the electric, forked-tongue Nuit de Bakélite, with its livid, shape-shifting, furious green tuberose that lasts for days on the skin. And Bois d’Ascèse and its soilish, dampened-ash scent of dripping caverns, unearthed pu’er tea, gnarled roots, just-plucked feathers with flesh still attached, and spat-out wine. They’re both visceral, wildly inventive scents fit for the untetherable force of nature that is Pearl.
Art, Boutiques, Fashion, inspiration
COLLAGES BY KITTY CALLAGHAN FOR SHOWROOM X
Kitty Callaghan is a talented Australian artist & photographer who was commissioned by Showroom X to create collages for Cuir Velours & Bois d’Ascèse.
Credits : Kitty Callaghan & Showroom X
@kittycallaghan
@showroom_x_
NICHE LIFE WITH NICHE PERFUME BY JESSICA SON YUAN
We are honoured to feature inside the new book NICHE LIFE WITH NICHE PERFUME by journalist Jessica Son Yuan.
Art, design, Event, Exhibitions, Nuit de Bakélite
"NEZ A NEZ" - CONTEMPORARY PERFUMERS AT THE POWER STATION OF ART, SHANGHAI
13 contemporary perfumers, 39 perfumes including Nuit de Bakélite by Isabelle Doyen. A great honour. An exhibition at POWER STATION OF ART in SHANGHAI curated by MUDAC Lausanne from 25.08.19 till 25.10.19. The exhibition “Nez à Nez: Contemporary Perfumers” will be on view at Shanghai Power Station of Design (psD). “Nez à Nez”– which literally translates as “nose to nose” – draws attention to the fact that this is not an exhibition to be “viewed”; instead, one needs to “smell” it. Unlike typical perfume exhibitions, “Nez à Nez” focuses on the creative processes of perfumers themselves. Across a series of interactive installations, “Nez à Nez: Contemporary Perfumers” will present a fresh and fragrant celebration of smell.
According to statistics, there are only about 400 fine perfumers working worldwide, which is remarkably fewer than the number of astronauts. The surprising scarcity of professionals in perfume design reflects the painstaking and challenging work demanded by the industry. Tracing the careers of thirteen individual perfumers, the exhibition will focus on a number of themes: Simplicity, Innovation, Carnality, Mastership, Tradition and Nature. Whilst each perfumer entered the industry fora variety of reasons, they all completed rigorous training and carried out extensive research, learning how to balance ingredients and discover their own individual identities.
Perfume is like a kind of poetry that floats in the air. By awakening people’s sense of smell, a fragrance can evoke powerful memories and inspire new emotions. In order to allow visitors to experience these transient aromas, this exhibition will set perfume free from traditional containers and bottles in an innovative installation that presents fragrance in a new context. By interacting with specially designed fans or soaking up the atmospheric qualities of painted glass, visitors can experience perfume in a completely new light. Through these mysterious instruments and magical smells, we can open up endless imaginary worlds. Design by Studio Glithero.
ABOUT PSA - Established on October 1, 2012, the Power Station of Art (PSA) is the first state-run museum dedicated to contemporary art in mainland China, and is also home to the Shanghai Biennale. Renovated from the former Nanshi Power Plant, the building once hosted the Pavilion of Future during the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. The museum has not only witnessed the city’s vast changes from the industrial age to the IT era, but also provided a rich source of inspiration for artists with its simple yet straightforward architectural style. As a key player in Shanghai’s new urban culture, PSA regards continual innovation and progress as the key to its long-term vitality. The museum has strived to provide an open platform for the public to learn and appreciate contemporary art, by breakingdown the barrier between life and art, and promoting cooperation and knowledge generation between different schools of art and culture.