Tuesday, March 3, 2009

The Violin Maker's Shop

My colleague, friend and mentor Lisa Camasi and I recently collaborated in the production of an interpretive fragrance for an architectural installation at in Utrecht, the Netherlands. The project required the delivery of a very specific olfactory experience - invoking a comfortable, cozy old library where one sips hot black tea, smokes aromatic tobacco in a well-seasoned pipe, and is subtly aware of the fragrance emanations of the nearby violin maker's studio.




We met Erika Jacons Lord as she was finishing her Masters degree in interior architecture in Utrecht, the Netherlands. Erika's research and inspiration for this project came from the French philosopher Deleuze and his notion of smooth and striated space. Inspired by the implications for architecture, her design focused on using all of the senses in the creation of spaces, and called for the specific above-mentioned scents in the study/library of the apartment she was redesigning.

"Shelley and Lisa jumped in when I needed the help in a very short timeframe and helped me figure out how the scents should be built. They researched what constitutes the scents which so fascinated me, and quickly and professionally created and sent samples to me via international mail. It was a joy to receive their work, because they were able to recreate the scents I had been only dreaming about. I appreciate their attention to detail and sensitivity in building the scents and their use of organic, hard to find ingredients. The quality and level of the finished product far exceeded my expectations."


Erika Jacobs Lord
Interior Architect