‘Perfume isn’t about fashion any more, it’s not worn as an accessory. ‘Perfume isn’t just about being sexy and alluring anymore – now we not only want to smell different to everyone else but different to before,’ says Catterall summing up the drive behind her curation. The staging is unique for each – one evokes white sheets drying on a line, one a catholic confessional, one a crumpled bed. There is a break after five, to catch up with which scents have been experienced, who the nose for each is, what the ingredients are, and again for the next five at the end. The visitor is invited to pick up a pad and paper and take the journey through the ten spaces, making their own notes on what they experience. Removing bottles and packaging from the equation and using visual, auditory and tactile prompts alongside the scent itself, each of the exemplary perfumes inhabits a set designed by Muf Architecture/Art. But Somerset House senior curator Claire Catterall and scent writer Lizzie Ostrom have freshened up the approach to exhibiting fragrance, putting the spotlight on ten contemporary smells that tell the story of how scent has evolved over the past two decades, while showcasing them in arresting ways. Perfume never makes for an easy subject to show in a white-washed exhibition space. Opening in the East Wing Galleries of Somerset House is an exhibition that explores the changing profile and role of scent in the 21st century.
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