Scents of adventure: The weird world of perfume

The Institute for Art and Olfaction, which opened in Los Angeles in February 2013, is the brainchild of Saskia Wilson-Brown, a producer and film distribution strategist whose credits include head of development at Al Gore’s Current TV.

‘Spurred by the internet and the DIY ethos of our time, we are experiencing what can only be described as an explosion of activity [in perfumery],’ writes Wilson-Brown. Speaking to the Cool Hunting website, she said the institute was not about ‘pretty-smelling things’, but about ‘intervention, weirdness, strange juxtaposition, science and discomfort’. 

IAO plans to establish a public education programme that involves open-lab drop-in perfumery sessions, a lecture series and garden-based scent workshops with the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum. IAO also fosters unusual collaborations between perfumers and individuals from other fields, from aerospace engineers to molecular biologists and film-makers. 

So far, its projects have included the creation of the DIG fragrance, designed to help revive tired workers, and the Secret Editions No 1: Cult limited-edition perfume, which was launched during a live immersive initiation ritual at the Lincoln Center. 

For more on how your brand can use scent, see our Synaesthetic Selling microtrend.