Make your own perfume! The Ides of March (in person)

An ancient Roman plot, and a Caesar cruelly felled before his time... We're a month behind to "beware the Ides of March," but we can still cheerfully interpret them in scent!

IAO founder Saskia Wilson-Brown leads attendees through the basics of perfume composition, with a very simple goal in mind: To make a new perfume that explores M**der most foul, with a Roman twist.

The class will begin with a quick primer on aromatic materials, as we smell a curated selection of materials rooted in Roman history. The second portion of the class will consist of making: Each participant will be invited to work with the curated materials to create an original composition, which they will expand on site and decant into a 30ml bottle: A shiny new perfume that interprets an ancient crime (or is simply beautiful)

Important notes to manage our expectations:
The instructor will be on hand to help you create your own blend, working with the range of pre-selected materials. If you have a special reques for a material, please email us before class, but note that we may not have the material in stock. Note that it is always a possibility that you will not love what you have created! However, you will have the formula and, most importantly, the knowledge you need to tweak it, on your own, down the line.

Topics covered:
+ An overview of perfume creation, and aromatic materials.
+ Smelling and discussing a curated selection of perfume materials, chosen by the instructor.
+ Writing a formula.
+ Compounding a perfume oil at 100%, putting it in solution, and decanting.

Take-Aways:
+ Participants will leave with a knowledge of the basics of perfume blending
+ Participants will leave with their formula
+ Participants will leave with a 30ml bottles of their final scent, at 10% solution.

About your instructor

Saskia Wilson-Brown, a Cuban-British-American artist and curator, received her BA in Fine Art at UC Berkeley and her MA in Fine Art at Central Saint Martins in London. After early work in art, film festivals, and television, in 2012 she founded The Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO), a nonprofit advancing access and experimentation in perfumery. Through the IAO, she has established and produced many collaborative programs and initiatives, including the Art and Olfaction Awards, Experimental Scent Summit, Open Sourcing Scent Culture, the biennial Scent Week LA, as well as the IAO’s ongoing educational, exhibition, and library initiatives.

A committed advocate for information-sharing in the arts, Saskia is uniquely skilled at elucidating the structures that connect all forms of creative expression, and lectures frequently at leading institutions and universities. With her characteristically open-minded and pan-arts perspective, she has collaborated with organizations that span cultural fields, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Chile, Jet Propulsion Lab (NASA), Sundance Film Festival, Broad Museum, Getty Institute, The Royal College of Art, Craft Contemporary, Pulitzer Foundation, and many more. Saskia hosts and produces the occasional podcast and radio show Perfume on the Radio, and is currently finishing her PhD thesis on scent in creative practice at University College Dublin’s SmartLab.

Materials

Materials are included in the sign-up cost, and provided by the IAO during class.

Attendance and Refund Policy

This is an in person class that will take place at the Institute for Art and Olfaction. Unfortunately, we cannot offer refunds or credit for this class. Note also that event tickets are non-transferable.

On Safety

Some aromatic materials can have side-effects when applied to skin. The information and teaching materials presented in our classes are for educational purposes only. These are not intended for commercial use and do not necessarily reflect commercial best practices or industry safety standards. For more information about commercial best practices and safety, consult the relevant authorities in your country of residence.

Registration Required:

Please note that you must reserve your space in advance. If you just show up without reserving a spot, there is no guarantee we will be able to accommodate you. Space at this event is limited.

All levels are welcome, but this session is 18 and up (or 14+, with adult supervision).

Location:

We are located in Los Angeles’ historic Chinatown neighborhood, on a pedestrian street.

Street Address: 932 Chung King Road Los Angeles CA. 90012

To find us: Chung King Road is a pedestrian-only road that runs parallel to Hill Street, between Hill St and Yale St. See more information here: http://artandolfaction.com/visit

Image credits:
Saskia Wilson-Brown by Indah Datau

(1806) by Vincenzo Camuccini

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