A jazz pianist and composer, Laurent Assoulen has been working on the correspondences between sounds and scents since 2005. His researches on the bridges between music and raw materials came to fruition in 2008 with a first perfumed concert.
As part of this concert, the five tracks from the album ’Sentire’ (which in Italian means both “to hear” and “to smell”) are played on stage by the composer with the simultaneous diffusion of five fragrances developed specifically by three renowned perfumers from IFF: Napoleão Bastos in São Paulo, Anne Flipo in Paris and Carlos Benaim in New York.
“This vibratory link between sounds and fragrances brings each listener into an immersive experience and a very personal approach to what he smells and what is carried by the music,” explains Laurent Assoulen.
Perfumes that can be listened to
Since then, the perfumed concert ’Sentire’ was played in several countries. And it is now becoming a true fragrance collection. Indeed, Laurent Assoulen has chosen to take the plunge and to put into glass bottles this artistic work initially limited to an olfactory-acoustic happening.
As a first step, Maison Sentire Paris is debuting the five perfumes created for the olfactive concerts, thus offering a unique sensory experience.
By using their smartphone to scan the QR code placed on the case of the perfume they want to smell and listen to, consumers will be able connected — in store or at home – to a virtual perfumed concert.
Together with abstract videos, the music composed by Laurent Assoulen generates a unique immersive experience: smelling, looking and listening at the same time.
“As our perfumes do not have specific names, this journey will create an olfactory identity in its own right, allowing everyone to build their own imagination, their inner and personal world and what they want to radiate within themselves,” says the creator.
Music that can be breathed
The decoration of the case, inspired by a piano key and taking up the design of the bottle, explores this notion of interaction and connection: “from the key, to the essence of the key.”
The QR code integrated into the packaging allows immediate listening to the associated music. The user then opens the pack — like the lid of a piano — and removes the red felt key protector, thus reproducing the gestures of a pianist preparing to play.
Currently distributed online on the artist’s website (www.laurentassoulen.com), the perfumes are sold at a price of EUR 98 for 50 ml.
