Nuri McBride Paves the Way for Broader Understandings of the Crafts and Cultures of Scent
At the Institute for Art and Olfaction in Los Angeles, the perfumer is bringing submerged histories, subjects, and traditions into the light.
July 26, 2022
6 minute read
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For many, perfume provides a layer of color, texture, or inflection on top of our daily lives. The addition of scent can complete an outfit, project an image, or boost confidence. It can even serve as an olfactory form of protection. But for some people, scent offers something more. It can be seen as a container for culture and society—a portal into thinking about the world, and our experiences of it, in a new way. The Institute for Art and Olfaction (IAO), a decade-old Los Angeles–based nonprofit founded by Saskia Wilson-Brown, has become a magnet for people who think about perfume in exactly this way. “Devoted to access, education, and experimentation with scent,” the institute hosts workshops, classes, and lectures around the craft and culture of perfume.
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