“The results of this study cast serious doubt on the ideology of the machine-haters. Even in the American automobile industry, where technology is allegedly most dehumanizing, workers expected satisfaction in their work. The situation differed little in the less industrial countries; autoworkers preferred working to leisure, not out of a...
Being good!
“Smelling good is a sign of being good. It is said that ‘we are what we eat’—but it is also true that we are what we smell like: fragrant or foul, good or bad. ” – Antony Synnott
Existential
“Whereas with other senses we make a conscious decision to look, listen, taste or touch, with smell it is often just an inherent aspect of existence — if you’re breathing, you’re smelling.” — Brian Goeltzenleuchter
Identity
“It is said that ‘we are what we eat’—but it is also true that we are what we smell like: fragrant or foul, good or bad.” – Antony Synnott
Truth
“Fragrance is truth, and truth fragrance” – Antony Synnott paraphrasing John Keats
Fragrant Christmas!
Oranges are native to China. In the late Middle Ages they were new to Europe. Andrea Mantegna was clearly aware of orange trees and their beautiful golden fruit when he created this fragrant image of the Holy Night, the Adoration of the Shepherds: The scene is set in an open...
Ferdinand & Smell culture studies (4)
The Story of Ferdinand (1936) is a much acclaimed classic children book written by American author Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson. This post reveals the fragrant (and so far ignored) message of the plot.
Good times
“Good times equate with good smells: even cow manure smells great because it evokes such wonderful memories; conversely, bad times equate with bad smells.” – Antony Synnott
Hedonics
“Odour is a significant component of our moral construction of reality and our construction of moral reality. The fundamental hypothesis is simple: what smells good is good. Conversely, what smells bad is bad. ” – Antony Synnott
Let us scent your fragrance!
“Go on, O Lord, and make an end of it, stir us up, and call us back; kindle us and pluck us to thee, be fragrant, and grow sweet unto us.” – AUGUSTINE
Magic
“Magic, in order to achieve its greatest potency, must enter through the nose.” – BRONISLAW MALINOWSKI
Nothingness of Scent
“Duft (i.S.v. Parfum) ist nichts und kann deshalb alles werden.” – CHRISTIAN JANECKE
Creativity
“Wherever I create something I like, I can be sure that it is too far out.” – ANDREAS WILHELM
Re-awakening the Magic
“The Perfumative. Perfume in Art and Design” was the title of an international conference at Zurich University of the Arts (8-10 November 2018). The conference seeked to open up a dialogue between perfumers, researchers, designers, and artists.
Art Now! Lecture at Columbia College Chicago
Portraiture is known as a visual art genre. Yet, working with body odors has given rise to artistic works that explore new sensory territories. A lecture with Claus Noppeney at Columbia College in Chicago discussed this development: Can a smell represent a person? How is an olfactory portrait experienced in...
Back to Top