Listen here to Frank's interview with NPO Radio 1 about his new workshop he has developed in tango with Mediamatic, Smelling like Another Being.
In a previous interview held at Medimatic by Fredrik Link about how smell is used as a disguise for other beings, Frank explains “smell happens in the conscious part of your brain. You are smelling smells constantly. Only you don't realise it or are aware of it.” Humans' relationship to smell is subconscious and very individualistic. We all use smell as a disguise in some ways, some more than others. The new workshop "Smelling like another Being" is a place that allows you to explore scents of other species, not only animals but, plants, bacteria, fungi, or minerals. You will learn the process of perfume making and how to best use the wide range of scents we have on our open scent library.
Read more about how smell is used as a disguise here in Fred's article.
Frank Bloem is an artist, and our resident parfumier, who uses scent as his main medium. He studied Fine Arts at the Rietveld Academy. In the summer of 2016, Frank changed his specialism from visual art to olfactory-based works and started The Snifferoo. This perfume laboratory is a place for education and experiments around smell. He made several personalized perfumes, hosts regular workshops, and has recreated the elephant smell of Artis, the Amsterdam Zoo.
References:
The Snifferoo - Frank Bloem, 2019.
How is smell used as a disguise in beings? - Fredrik Link, 2022.