This Friday I embark, with other members of Soup Collective International (SCI), on a journey to Greece to be part of Platforms Project – a 5 day art fair in Athens.
Platforms Project will be a great opportunity to meet other artists, network, exchange knowledge and perhaps initiate collaborations on an international level. As such, I have ensured a great deal of care and consideration has been afforded to the making of the work I am taking – from concept to execution. Moreover, this is one of only a few arts events this year where my involvement in the overall organisation and running of it is minimal. This has afforded me time to ensure the aesthetics of my work are of high quality – a luxury I can’t always afford!
The work itself references my core creative concerns – chiefly that of utilising scent as a primary means of engagement and perfume as a viable art medium. It details a speculative Grand Tour of Europe that could be embarked on as a means to experience different fragrances. These fragrances are then encapsulated within 6 different ‘artefacts’ and placed on display revealed, experienced and assessed in relation to prior knowledge and cultural appropriation.
It intends to reveal the capacity scent has for metaphor, myth, history and narrative, and highlights how the experience of scent may alter and shift depending on any given location and its associated culture and heritage.
This piece was made specifically for Platforms Project and comprises of 6 different artefacts, which will all be teased online before the piece as a whole is revealed in Athens on Saturday. I can’t wait!