Experimental Work with Scent, with Saskia Wilson-Brown

Saskia provides a humor-laced, facts-based introduction to the art and science of working with scent - that also serves as an intensive primer for what we hope will become your favorite new practice.

Led by Saskia Wilson-Brown, founder of The Institute for Art and Olfaction, this course will provide an overview of perfumery that introduces the technical and foundational information you'll need for your practice. Starting with important global social context, the class will go on to cover fragrance families and taxonomies, materials of natural and synthetic origin, diluents, blending techniques, and the basics for a safe and happy practice.

Importantly, we'll do the hard, fun work of smelling. As a group, we'll discuss each material in the kit through an intensive process of sensorial evaluation. Finally, we'll create several introductory perfume formulas, and gain an understanding of how to expand our practices from there.

We'll wrap up the course with a glimpse into how artists and experimental practitioners are using scent in their work, beyond the bottle. Get your noses ready and let's explore the challenging, technical, and magical world of working with scent.

CLASS MEETINGS

This is an interactive, small-group seminar that meets over Zoom. Students will be encouraged to participate in discussions, and work on assignments outside of class, and share insights with their instructor or classmates. Due to the interactive nature of this course, we strongly recommend students attend as many live sessions as possible. Within 72 hours after each session meets, students will receive access to a recording of the live session, which they can watch for 2 weeks after each class concludes.

Each class lasts approximately 2.5 hours, including a 10 minute break.

Sessions:

Class 1: Mon., Dec. 8 - Introductions and lab basics, 2.5 hour class

Class 2: Mon., Dec. 22 - Smelling session and introduction to formulating

Class 3: Mon., Jan. 5 - Advanced lab work, experimental practices, next steps

Between classes:There is homework between each class, that is required. This homework will take between 1 and 2 hours.

MATERIALS REQUIRED

We have teamed up with Perfumers Apprentice to offer a kit that includes the materials needed for this course. You must purchase this kit to attend the class.

LINK TO KIT: https://shop.perfumersapprentice.com/p-10872.aspx?searchEngineName=iao-experimental-work-with-scent-course-kit

This kit costs $97.00, and includes 4ml bottles of the following 18 aromatic materials: Ambroxan (10% DPG), Bergamot (Calabria), Black Pepper (India), Carrot Seed (India), Cassis 345B, Cedarwood (Texas), Ebanol, Ethylene Brassylate, Geosmin 1%, Hexenol-3-Cis, Indole @ 1%, Iso E Super, Labdanum Absolute (50% Alc.), Methyl Pamplemousse, Petitgrain Paraguay, Rose Givco 217, Vanillin (10% Alc.), Vetiver (Haiti)

The kit also contains the following tools: 200 x Scent Strips; 50 x Pipettes (Medium); 24 x 4ml Vials w/ droppers; 1 x 30ml bottle of DPG.

Additional materials required: Small paper labels for the vials: we recommend Avery Return Address Labels with Sure Feed for Inkjet Printers, 0.5" x 1.75”— Link here

Small tubs for blending trials: we recommend .5 ounce or 1 ounce condiment containers+ Link for plastic .5 ounce — Link for metal 1 ounce

IMPORTANT

The kit contains professional grade perfume materials. Although we have selected all our materials with safety in mind, there is nevertheless a slight possibility that you may experience a sensitivity to one or two of them. Please do not put the aromatic materials on your skin before diluting them (we'll explain that and other health and safety notes in class one). If you consider yourself acutely and problematically sensitive to fragrance, we recommend you not take this class.

ATTENDANCE AND REFUND POLICY

This is an online class that will take place on Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent by email approximately 24 hours before the class. Lest this email end up in your spam folder, please be sure to add hello@artandolfaction.com and noreply@order.eventbrite.com to your address book.

+ Event times are listed in Pacific Time (PDT); please use a time converter for your local start time.

+ Please download and install Zoom before the class starts, to avoid last minute technical issues.

+ Learn more about how we teach and our community guidelines here: https://artandolfaction.com/newcomers/.

+ We will share the video for this session after class ends, viewable for 7 days. This video is view-only, and expires at the end of the 7 day window.

+ Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds or credit for this class. Note also that event tickets are non-transferable.