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The artist Christopher Brosius uses accords, memories and love to create unique and personal fragrances that transcend their perfume-ness to become art.
When you think of fragrances, what adjectives come to mind? Floral, musky, delicate, bold, spicy, sweet, feminine, masculine are all words used to describe something very abstract, a scent. So why not use a memory or experience to create a perfume instead of just a flower or spice? That is exactly what Christopher Brosius has done with his amazing line of perfumes, accords, and home sprays. His manifesto page on his website begins, "I hate perfume. Perfume is too often an ethereal corset trapping everyone in the same unnatural shape. A lazy and inelegant concession to fashionable ego. Too often a substitute for true allure and style. An opaque shell concealing everything - revealing nothing. A childish masque hiding the timid and unimaginative An arrogant slap in the face from across the room People who smell like everyone else disgust me. Perfume is a veil that reveals the soul..." (It does continue and it is worth reading.) Brosius' scents are a unique blend of the ethereal, the intellectual and the hedonistic. One of his scents is called In The Library, and is described as "English Novel taken from a Signed First Edition of one of my very favorite novels, Russian and Moroccan leather bindings, worn cloth and a hint of woods polish." You can even go on to read "The Story" that Christopher provides to give us a little more back story on the invention of each fragrance. Each scent has very specific meaning to Brosius and yet also holds universal appeal. Other unlikely fragrance titles include Winter 1972, which combines fresh snow and woolen mittens. At the Beach 1966 blends Coppertone, wet sand, seashell, and a hint of Boardwalk. Burning Leaves is "The smoke of burning maple leaves - pure and simple." Black March is "composed of Rain Drops, Leaf Buds, Wet Twigs, Tree Sap, Bark, Mossy Earth, and the faintest hint of Spring Flower Bulbs..." Brosius will even custom create a fragrance just for you based on your favorite memories and/or objects. After your fragrance is created, it will never will be duplicated by Brosius. The fragrance remains your signature scent forever. He also maintains a formula record for your scent so that it can be easily reproduced in the future for you. The work of Christopher Brosius is considered so significant that he was included in New York City's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum's Triennial exhibition Design in 2003 as the only perfumer. A good artist draws on his own experiences and interests to create something unique and of quality. Certainly under this definition, Brosius is an artist extraordinaire. Read a review of the Christopher Brosius fragrances Wild Pansy and In the Library here.
The copyright of the article The Art of Fragrance in Art & Society is owned by Mary Rayme. Permission to republish The Art of Fragrance in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
Comments
Jan 18, 2007 12:10 AM
Jennifer Yap :
Jan 18, 2007 8:25 AM
Mary Rayme :
2 Comments
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