May 6, 2017 - Comments Off on 2017: ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS
2017: ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS
BERLIN - MAY 7, 2017 Guests and nominees congregated to witness the fourth annual Art and Olfaction Awards at the Silent Green Kulturquartier—a former crematorium built in 1911 revitalized as an arts venue—in Berlin, Germany on the evening of Saturday, May 6, 2017.
SEE PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT HERE
Awarded to just four perfumes and one experimental scent project a year, The Art and Olfaction Awards are designed to raise public interest and awareness around new developments in independent perfumery. The Awards, established in 2014 by the Institute for Art and Olfaction, are given to outstanding creators in the categories of independent, artisan, and experimental perfume from across the globe, chosen for perfumes released in 2016.
The winners this year were Bruise Violet by Sixteen92 and Mélodie de l’Amour by Parfums Dusita; Fathom V by BeauFort London and Altruist by J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin; and the Sadakichi Award, Osmodrama Berlin / Smeller 2.0 by Wolfgang Georgsdorf. (Full details of each winning perfume are below.)
In addition, in partnership with Pochpac, the first ever Contribution to Scent Culture Award was presented to Christophe Laudamiel.
Each A+O Award winner received The Golden Pear, which continues to cement its status as a prestigious achievement in the perfume world.
The evening began with a cocktail and casual dinner at MARS in the Silent Green Kulturquartier, before being summoned into the great room, where guests were treated to ethereal vocal improvisations by Daniela Gesundheit of Snowblink, a musician based in Los Angeles who tends to connect the auditory with the olfactory. Saskia Wilson-Brown, the founder of the Institute for Art and Olfaction, opened the evening with a rundown of the awards, and how they are judged. "Our goals are pretty simple, they are not lofty, other than to celebrate artisan, independent, and experimental perfumers," she said. "We aim to treat their work with respect, regardless of marketing budgets."
Perfumer Andy Tauer--who was a judge in the awards--then introduced the Artisan Category Finalists. "What I smelled was courageous, creative, and brave," he said of the judging process. "And to those of you who weren't selected as finalists, my message to you is: please continue. Go beyond the frontier, because there's a lot of boring perfume out there, and we really need you [to make the exciting perfume that you are making]."
Writer Denyse Beaulieu introduced the independent finalists with a thoughtful speech on the challenges of judging and importance of memorable perfumes, and Caro Verbeek introduced the Sadakichi Award Finalists with well-researched connections to past art works.
The winners gave heartfelt speeches, such as Pissara Umavijani of Dusita Parfums, who dedicated her award-winning scent, Mélodie de l'Amour, to her late father with tears in her eyes, and Wolfgang Georgsdorf, whose olfactory art project, Osmodrama Berlin with Smeller 2.0, won to a thunderous applause from the hometown Berlin audience. As judge and presenter Ashraf Osman said: "The Golden Pear will stay in Berlin."
As each winner was announced, a scent strip with the winning perfume was passed out to each member of the audience, providing a real-time scent experience.
Finally, world-renowned perfume writer and critic Luca Turin delivered a brief closing remarks, announcing that he is in the process of compiling a brand new edition of his legendary Perfumes: The A-Z Guide, first published in 2008 as the world's inaugural perfume compendium. "This is the best smelling audience...ever," he said, addressing the attendees. "Most public events are spoiled by somebody wearing something diabolically awful. You made sure that is not the case, and I thank you for that."
He concluded the evening by singling out Art and Olfaction Awards founder Saskia Wilson-Brown for her dedication to the world of niche perfumery. "You do an extraordinary service to a neglected art, and you continue to do so every year," he said.
After the awards, attendees congregated for an unofficial afterparty at Amano Bar, where discussions about scent went deep into the night. It was a fitting end to the Awards, which began with the Experimental Scent Summit on Friday, May 5th, 2017, an important series of presentations by some of the greatest intellects working in olfactory art, organized by Saskia Wilson-Brown in collaboration with artist Klara Ravat.
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THE WINNERS OF THE FOURTH ANNUAL ART AND OLFACTION AWARDS
ARTISAN CATEGORY
Bruise Violet
by Sixteen92 (USA)
CD/ Perfumer: Claire Baxter
sixteen92.com
Presented by judge Luca Turin
Mélodie de l'Amour
by Parfums Dusita (France)
CD/ Perfumer: Pissara Umavijani
parfumsdusita.com
Presented by 2014 winner Tanja Bochnig
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INDEPENDENT CATEGORY
Fathom V
by BeauFort London (UK)
CD: Leo Crabtree / Perfumer: Julie Marlowe
beaufortlondon.com
Presented by judge Antonio Gardoni
Altruist
by J.F. Schwarzlose Berlin (Germany)
CD: Lutz Herrmann / Perfumer: Véronique Nyberg
schwarzloseberlin.com
Presented by judge Matthias Janke
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SADAKICHI AWARD
Osmodrama Berlin / Smeller 2.0
by Wolfgang Georgsdorf (Germany)
Perfumer: Geza Schön
osmodrama.com
Presented by judge Ashraf Osman
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CONTRIBUTION TO SCENT CULTURE AWARD
Christophe Laudamiel
www.dreamair.mobi
Presented by founder Saskia Wilson-Brown
MORE INFORMATION
The Art and Olfaction Awards was founded in 2012 as an independent awards mechanism designed to celebrate innovation and excellence in artisan and independent perfume, and experimentation in scent within arts practices. The Art and Olfaction Awards are a program of The Institute for Art and Olfaction, a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Los Angeles, CA.
The Art and Olfaction Awards could not exist without the generous support of our partners at Lucky Scent / Scent Bar, Pochpac, Perfumer’s Apprentice, Esxence, Wilhelm Perfume, Sarah Horowitz Parfums, Taylor Box Company, Allies Design Studio, Nez – La Revue Olfactive, ÇaFleureBon, Basenotes, Scent Culture Institute, Silent Green, Perfumed Plume Awards, and Beski Projekts.
The Institute for Art and Olfaction is a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Los Angeles, CA. The Institute for Art and Olfaction advances public and artistic engagement with scent. We do this by initiating and supporting arts projects that utilize the medium of scent, by providing accessible and affordable education in our experimental laboratory as well as in partnership with institutions and community groups, and by celebrating excellence in independent and artisan perfumery through our yearly award mechanism, The Art and Olfaction Awards. Through these efforts, we extend the world of scent beyond its traditional boundaries of appreciation and use.
For press inquiries please contact:
Maxwell Williams, Press and Communications Officer
[email protected] - 213-271-6145
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