ParfumPlus

One of the artists' works that stayed with me most was by Barbara Wildenboer. Her work drew heavily from raw, natural materials, paper, linen, and tactile surface. Her work inspired a fragrance built around airy cotton notes, soft florals and clean warmth. “When I looked at the piece, I imagined movement and softness,” I explained during the session. “I wanted the fragrance to feel light and calm but still emotional.” Other work carried a completely different energy. Jenna Burchell’s sculptural pieces, with their combination of wood, metal and industrial textures, inspired darker compositions built around cedarwood, saffron, leather, patchouli and moss. What I enjoyed most was watching guests return to the artworks after smelling the fragrances beside them. Some began noticing details they had overlooked before, while others connected certain scents to personal memories. “That was the most rewarding part for me,” I remember thinking afterwards. “Seeing people experience art differently through scent.” By the end of the evening, the atmosphere felt personal and conversational. The event no longer felt like a traditional fragrance presentation. It became an exchange of interpretation, memory and emotion, exactly what we hoped to create through Düllberg Konzentra’s South African launch. The gallery immediately set the tone. Its dramatic yet calm atmosphere created the perfect environment to introduce fragrance as part of the artistic experience rather than something separate from it. Throughout the day, I guided guests through a series of smelling sessions inspired by the artworks surrounding us. Instead of focusing only on ingredients, we spoke about texture, atmosphere and emotion, and how a scent could reflect the feeling of an artwork rather than simply describe it. “Earthy, almost patchouli-like, rich with wet soil, it felt grounded and beautifully textured.” P A R F U M P L U S 25