Once again, the most recent edition of Art Basel provided a fascinating journey through the remarkable highlights of 20th and 21st century. It was hardly surprising that the sensorium was focused on the visual. Yet, there is a little anecdote that connects nicely to other posts on the sense of smell in contemporary art worlds and our ongoing re-examination of the collection at Kunstmuseum Thun. Continue reading Art Basel: Over-serving the Sense of Smell in Collecting Art
Category Archives: Scent Culture Comment & Review
comments and reviews: SCI shares views, observations – there should be a SCI contribution
How Present is Scent Marketing?
Sensory and scent-marketing highlight how the sense of smell affects our everyday purchasing decisions. Accordingly, one expects an abundance of scented products in contemporary consumer culture. Yet, we can also witness an increasing awareness of multiple chemical sensitivities that might promote an opposite trend. This is the commercial context of a recent thesis submitted in the BBA International Program at Bern University of Applied Sciences by Jennifer Zwyer and supervised by Claus Noppeney: How prevalent is the sense of smell in today’s consumer culture? How prevalent are scented products on the shelf in supermarkets today? How openly is the olfactory status communicated to the consumer? Verbally? Visually?
From Sniffing to Art: The Sense of Smell in Artistic Production
In the context of the on-going re-examination of the collection at Kunstmuseum Thun, the first exhibition curated by Ashraf Osman and Anja Seiler focused on the olfactory aspects of the material and techniques of art making, which are often smelly, yet widely neglected. In this context, Claus Noppeney gave a talk on 16 March titled “From Sniffing to Art: The Sense of Smell in Artistic Production”. Continue reading From Sniffing to Art: The Sense of Smell in Artistic Production
Umberto Eco R.I.P.:Turn scent into a stimulus for critical reflection!
Umberto Eco, the Italian cultural theorist and novelist who became the author of best-selling novels, notably the blockbuster medieval mystery “The Name of the Rose,†died last week in Milan. Eco was a contributor to our thinking on scent culture.
Continue reading Umberto Eco R.I.P.:Turn scent into a stimulus for critical reflection!
Scent & The Most Hated Retailer
Abercombie & Fitsch has been nominated the most hated retailer. This post explores how this might be related to the company’s scent strategy. Continue reading Scent & The Most Hated Retailer
Perfume Book Lists
So, are you making a list and checking it twice? ‘This is the season of lists, after all: wish lists, end-of-year/best-of lists, etc. Perfumes lists are aplenty this time of year (nearly as common as perfume ads) but here at SCI we’re especially fond of perfume books. Continue reading Perfume Book Lists
Using scent for innovating services: Opportunity for business partners in Switzerland
In today’s experience economy the service sector faces severe challenges: Services are simultaneously produced and consumed, and above all in most cases intangible. Forward looking companies increasingly use services for creating experiences that are stimulating for the customer: the more senses an experience engages, the more effective and memorable it can be. Continue reading Using scent for innovating services: Opportunity for business partners in Switzerland
A Nose for Innovation: A Bernese Tradition?
The city of Bern runs a lively blog that monthly discusses business related issues in the economic area of the Swiss capital. Through it, a diverse selection of people from business, culture, civil service and society engage in public discourse. In this context, Claus Noppeney identifies “olfactory milestones” in the remarkable history of the city and shows how this tradition leads to current product innovation. Continue reading A Nose for Innovation: A Bernese Tradition?
NZZ: “Mehr als schöner Atem†(More than beautiful breath)
The NZZ (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), the Swiss newspaper of record, published a review of the Belle Haleine: The Scent of Art exhibition at Museum Tinguely in Basel penned by SCI’s Claus Noppeney. The review, titled “Mehr als schöner Atem†(More than beautiful breath) explores different artistic strategies employed at the exhibition by focusing on four works in it: the discursive in Jenny Marketou’s â€Smell You, Smell Me” (1998), the documentary in Clara Ursitti’s â€Eau Claire” (1993), the sensual in Ernesto Neto’s “Mentre accade niente” (2008), and the conceptual in Cildo Meireles’s “Volatil” (1980/1994).
The piece concludes with a glimpse at other related exhibitions in Europe this spring: There’s Something in the Air! – Scent in Art at the Villa Rot in the south of Germany and The Smell of War at castle De Lovie in the west of Belgium. Claus had written another piece for NZZ with Nada Endrissat last year on the topic of olfactory art titled “Kunst, die man riechen kann: Mehr als Duft und Gestank†(Art you can smell: More than scent and stench).
Image: Cildo Meireles, Volátil (Volatile), 1980/1994.
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Anna-Sabina Zürrer & The Search for the Essence
The newest (April) issue of the main Swiss art monthly publication, Kunstbulletin, features an article on Swiss artist, Anna-Sabina Zürrer, titled “Die Suche nach der Essenz†(The Search for the Essence) written by SCI’s Claus Noppeney and Ashraf Osman. Continue reading Anna-Sabina Zürrer & The Search for the Essence